Adolescents' Race Consciousness Strengthens Broader Awareness of Societal Inequality
This study examined bidirectional changes in adolescents' awareness of inequality and race consciousness between 2017 and 2018 in the USA and whether discriminatory experiences informed developmental pathways. The sample (N = 2645; M<sub>age</sub> = 14.6, SD = 2.14; 56.5% female; > 0.01% transgender and gender diverse) was White (35.8%), Latinx (31.4%), multiple racial and ethnic groups (13.5%), Black (7.3%), and Asian (5.2%). Race consciousness predicted changes in awareness of inequality (B = 0.31, p < 0.001); awareness of inequality did not predict changes in race consciousness. Social locations and experiences of gender and racial discrimination informed pathways. Providing adolescents with opportunities to explore race and racism may help them reflect on how society is organized in systemically inequitable ways.
Authors
- Laura Wray‐Lake (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6091-4440)
- Elena Maker Castro (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7118-6020)
- Jason A. Plummer
Institutions
- University of California, Los Angeles (US)
- Bates College (US)
- California State University, Long Beach (US)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Child Development
- Published
- 2025-04-24
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1111/cdev.14254
- Primary Topic
- Early Childhood Education and Development
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00
Funders
- National Science Foundation
- John Templeton Foundation
- National Institutes of Health
- National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities