How Racial and Ethnic Stereotypes Lead to Context Dependent Patterns of Hiring Discrimination

Abstract

Racial and ethnic minority groups are not stereotyped uniformly. While some groups are viewed as “not American enough,” other groups are stereotyped as less competent or lazy. Present research on labor market discrimination shows that stereotypes can be the basis for discrimination in the U.S. However, little work has compared when a given set of stereotypes will have an impact. The congruence between stereotypes about racial or ethnic groups and beliefs about who is a “good fit” may play an important role in which groups appear more qualified – particularly when employers are hiring for jobs with stereotype-relevant qualifications (e.g. – English fluency). This dissertation examines how stereotype-driven perceptions of applicants relate to and predict hiring decisions for hypothetical jobs stereotyped as American and High-status. Study 1 found that participants were more likely to hire Black men relative to Asian men for a hypothetical American job and that these differences were mediated by cultural foreignness stereotypes. Study 1b expanded the applicant pool to include Latino candidates and replicated these findings. Latino and Asian men were seen as less hirable for the American job even when applicant first names were anglicized. Across intersections of racial and gender identities, Studies 2 and 3 found lower hireability for both an American and a high-status job were predicted by groups specific stereotypes. Asian, Arab, and Latine applicants were seen as less hireable than Black applicants, who were perceived as less hireable than White applicants, for stereotypically American jobs. However, when the same job favored stereotypically highstatus characteristics (e.g., technical skills, advanced education), Black, Latine, and Arab applicants were perceived as less hireable than Asian and White applicants. Finally in Study 4, Black and Asian applicants both anticipated discrimination for a stereotypically American job, while only Black applicants anticipated discrimination for a stereotypically high-status job. Findings illuminate when and why exclusion from the American identity may contribute to racial inequities in the U.S. labor market. This dissertation provides evidence that discrimination in occupational contexts that emphasize stereotypically American or high-status characteristics is experienced across race and gender intersections and paves the way for tailored interventions to reduce discrimination based on exclusion from the American identity and improve racial equity in the labor market.