What Moves Love? Skin‐Tone Discrimination in the Dating Market in Mexico

Claudia Josselyn Barranco‐Santamaria and Raymundo M. Campos‐Vazquez

Social Science Quarterly, 2026, vol. 107, issue 4

Abstract: Objective This study investigates skin‐tone discrimination in the Mexican dating market. We examine whether men's match responses differ between otherwise identical dating‐app profiles that vary only by skin tone, and whether these responses differ by men's own skin tone or education. Methods We implement a correspondence study across four Mexican cities. We created pairs of dating‐app profiles of women, identical in all details except that, within each pair, the photographs were digitally adjusted to show either light or dark skin. This design holds facial features and profile content constant. We analyze men's match responses to quantify the skin‐tone penalty. Results We document clear discrimination in favor of the light‐skinned profile. The match rate is 54% for light skin versus 35% for dark skin. We find no evidence of same‐skin‐tone homophily: darker‐skinned men discriminate against the dark‐skinned profile at rates similar to lighter‐skinned men. Regarding education, we do not observe that darker‐skinned men with a university degree discriminate more than those with lower education. Conclusions The findings show that skin tone shapes preference‐stage decisions in the Mexican dating market. These results complement observational evidence on partnering and colorism by documenting discrimination at an early stage of relationship formation, before actual dating, partnering, or marriage outcomes are observed.

Date: 2026
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