What is the adultification bias?
The adultification bias is a form of racial prejudice where African American girls are treated as being more mature than they actually are by a reasonable social standard of development.
This is exhibited in the following ways:
Black girls receive less nurturing
Black girls receive less protection
Black girls receive less support
Black girls receive less comfort
Black girls are viewed as more independent
Black girls are perceived to know more about adult topics
Black girls are more knowledgable about sex
Adultification interrupts a Black girl's childhood.
A study was done by Georgetown Law Center and Poverty and inequality shows, which revealed Black girls' experience in public school systems. The results provide us data showing that adults view Black girls as less innocent and more adult-like than their white peers, especially in the age range of 5–14.
We've begun working with the Center on Poverty and Inequality to ensure that we provide accurate information and have all available resources to help combat this additional hurdle. For more information, click here.