Previous research has found evidence of name-based discrimination in recruitment. But while such research often uses fake applications to test how employers respond to names associated with a particular race or gender, a new preliminary study looks at the fluency of the name: how long it takes to pronounce an applicant’s name.
In addition to studying name inequality from a new angle, this worksheet is based on the real-world employment results of about 1,500 economics job seekers from about 100 PhDs. The program follows the market cycle from 2016-17 to 2017-18, not estimates.
In the end, the authors found that a name that took longer to pronounce was associated with a significantly lower chance of being transferred to an academic job or getting a term-track position. Having a difficult name to pronounce থেকে from the point of view of native English speakers, i.e. — is also associated with primary job placement in an organization with low research productivity, as measured in a research paper in the Research Ranking in Economics database.
These results are usually true when authors try different ways to measure pronunciation difficulty, including a computer algorithm based on common letter and word combinations. These unequal results were also maintained when candidates were controlling issues such as PhD-granting institutions and their home countries.
Across two PhDs. cohorts, the paper says, “There is strong evidence for labor market discrimination against names that are difficult to pronounce. Job seekers with difficult names are less likely to be placed in an academic job or land in a term-track position, and by productivity of research.” They are also employed in very low-ranking organizations measured. These results are statistically significant and economically huge. “
According to the research paper, an ideal deviation increase in the time between a candidate’s full name pronunciation reduces the chances of getting an academic or term-track job by about eight percentage points and as a result recruits to an organization that has about 100 spots. Low, as found in research papers in economics databases
The level of impact for the first and last name is fairly the same. The researchers did not find that the effect was on the qualifications of the candidates, as “there is no correlation between the pronunciation of the name and the results related to the quality of the research, such as the status of job market paper publication or Google Scholar citation calculation.”
What’s going on? Researchers say their work does not allow them to identify a process of inequality. But they offer some guesswork. For job search in academic, government and research institutions, the paper says, an initial screening “usually involves bringing together committees to discuss the names of potential candidates, which can lead to some subconscious discrimination against names that are difficult to pronounce and / or remember.”
Beyond this screening phase, the author’s initiative, it is possible that “candidates with simple names are seen more favorably in the initial and final stages of the interview, as discussed in previous research.”
The paper suggests that this type of name inequality probably goes beyond recruitment শুরু or starts earlier. The results thus “could underestimate the real long-term effects of discrimination based on the difficulty of pronouncing names.”
Co-authors Stephen W., Irma M. And Robert D., professor of economics at Hamilton College. Morris said Tuesday that he is in the process of incorporating more information into the paper, such as using fictional summaries to see if he felt race from previous experimental research. The callback rate of job applicants based on name will be affected. “We find that even among ethnic-word names, those whose names are difficult to pronounce are less likely to be called for a job,” he said.
Asked about the implications for the academy, such as expanding the use of blind reviews in CVs, Wu said such a change could be “difficult”, but it would “certainly be a way to combat this kind of bias.”
Even awareness that such bias exists “may be helpful to know for committee appointments,” he said. “While you may never be able to completely eliminate these types of unconscious biases, early awareness can help limit it.”
