The Odds Of Landing A Job Are Higher If You Play It Straight, Research Shows

[Steven_Draker]

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A study conducted in Cyprus has concluded that gay men and women are at a distinct disadvantage when it comes to exploring the job market.

 

Two groups of applicants were created with near-identical qualifications, with one group having worked at a “gay rights organization” and the other at an “environmental charity.”

 

They were monitored as they looked for jobs, and the gay male applicants received interviews 39 percent less often than straight men, while lesbians received interviews 42.7 percent less often than straight women.

 

That’s a fairly giant discrepancy to be solely based off of one item of work experience, but as researcher Dr. Nick Drydakis put it, “Cyprus has not devoted the necessary resources to public education in the area of employment. This is apparent in the public’s general lack of awareness regarding the legal protection against unequal treatment.”

 

And when gay men did land a job in the study, they were offered 9.2 percent less money than straight men. Lesbians were offered 5.8 percent less than straight women.

 

And before you say “yes, but all this proves is that it’s harder for gay men and women to find jobs in Cyprus, a small island in the Mediterranean sea” — which, okay, you’d be right — consider this similar study that shows similar results in the US, especially in the Midwest and the South.

 

That study went a step further and found that when job descriptions included phrases like “assertive,” “aggressive,” or “decisive,” outwardly gay applicants saw a significant decline in callback rates. Stereotypes are still very much alive at the corporate level.

 

source: http://www.queerty.com/the-odds-of-landing-a-job-are-higher-if-you-play-it-straight-research-shows-20140805

[Steven_Draker]

US study says gay men are less likely to be offered job interviews

 

An American study says that openly gay men are less likely to be called back for job interviews – particularly in the South and Midwest.

 

The research found that CVs which indicate an applicant is gay are 40 per cent less likely to be granted an interview than those which do not.

 

Harvard University researcher Andras Tilcsik sent two realistic but fictitious CVs to 1,700 white collar job openings, such as managerial positions.

 

One CV mentioned relevant experience in a university gay society as a treasurer, while the other listed experience in the ‘Progressive and Socialist Alliance’. Both were

 

Mr Tilcsik said that since employers are likely to associate both groups with left-leaning political views, this would separate any ‘gay penalty’ from the effects of political discrimination.

 

The results showed that applicants without the gay reference had an 11.5 per cent chance of being called for an interview. However, CVs which mentioned the gay society had only a 7.2 per cent chance. The difference amounted to a 40 per cent higher chance of the heterosexual applicant getting a call.

 

The study found that states in the South and Midwest – Florida, Ohio and Texas – had the largest differences in callback rates. However, minimal differences were found for Western and North-Eastern states such as California, Nevada, Pennsylvania and New York.

 

Mr Tilcsik said: “The results indicate that gay men encounter significant barriers in the hiring process because, at the initial point of contact, employers more readily disqualify openly gay applicants than equally qualified heterosexual applicants.”

 

The research also found that employers seeking stereotypically heterosexual male traits were more likely to discriminate against gay men.

CVs which listed the gay university society had lower callback rates when the employer described the ideal candidate for the job as “assertive,” “aggressive,” or “decisive.

 

“It seems, therefore, that the discrimination documented in this study is partly rooted in specific stereotypes and cannot be completely reduced to a general antipathy against gay employees,” Mr Tilcsik wrote.

 

The study was published in the American Journal of Sociology.

 

source: http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2011/10/04/us-study-says-gay-men-are-less-likely-to-be-offered-job-interviews/

[Phil_musc]

This just confirms what I (and others?) have long suspected. Yes, it is a new and different world, but discrimination still exists (and I live in one of the more liberal states).