Hyperdescent

Imagine that in a very big family, some members are considered more important or have higher status than others. Hyperdescent is when the children of mixed-race parents are assigned to the race of the more important or higher status parent.

For example, if a child has a black mother and a white father, hyperdescent would mean that the child is considered to be black, even if they look more white. This is because historically, black people were considered to be of lower status than white people, and so any mixed-race child was automatically considered to be of the lower status race.

Hyperdescent is a way that society tries to maintain clear racial categories and hierarchy. However, it can also be seen as unfair and discriminatory, because it denies the full identity and experiences of mixed-race people.