GENDER BIAS AGAINST MALES HIGHER THAN BIAS AGAINST FEMALES, IN SOME JOBS

By Megan Jones

Back in March, the website accountingweb.com reported on a UK study that found male job applicants in the fields of accounting and computer analysis were experienced greater bias than female applicants. The study tested out over 400 jobs, sending two fake applications, one from someone named Emma and the other from a job candidate named Phillip.

The applications – which listed the same age and level of experience and qualifications – were sent to employers and companies seeking to hire accountants, computer analysts, engineers and secretaries. Accountingweb.com, via The Guardian, reports that “men were up to four times as likely as women to suffer bias when seeking jobs in accountancy and computer programming. Men were also four times less likely than women to be hired for secretary positions, while women were “half as likely” to get the engineering jobs, according to accountingweb.com.  

In response to the study’s findings, some analysts believe that employers who hired women are practicing what is called “stealth affirmative action,” though there is no law that requires employers to modify their hiring practices according to affirmative action in the

UK

. Others have responded by saying that while men should not be discriminated against, women still bear the brunt of the majority of workplace discrimination.

In either case, gender discrimination is unfair. The news article also referenced a study from Rutgers University graduate students and published in the Psychology of Women Quarterly, which found that men who acted ambitious and like they really wanted to succeed in their careers were viewed as favorable candidates, while women who acted in the same way were considered less than desirable in terms of social skills and likability. This finding led those in the study to feel less passionate about hiring women who acted ambitious.

It is unclear exactly why the employers in the first study favored women over men in three out of four industries. And while computer science and accounting are still traditionally male-dominated fields, especially in upper management, a stealth affirmative action initiative can’t be a conclusive answer, as it does not apply to the field of engineering, at least according to the study.

This post was contributed by Megan Jones, who writes about the bachelors degree. She welcomes your feedback at Meg.Jones0310 at gmail.com

Comments

[John Kimble]

Hi megan - great to see all these new (and articulate) contributors to the blog. I might even submit an article of my own one day

[Groan]

I recall this research, its actually very rare even though a lot of assertions are made about discrimination. What is very true is that in the public service, many roles in education,health and social care have become more "female" (teaching being the most newsworthy). In recent work in the health service it was found male applicants lost out considerably at interview. The assumption was made was that this reflected a "not one of us" attitude and panels should have a man present. In fact this whole area is fraught with assumptions with very little evidence indeed.

[Account Deleted]

Gender discrimination at work place is unlawful & punishable offence. As we known women can do anything as men can but still women are back in men dominated world. We have to make some rules and reservation for empowering women. I found the site http://naukriforwomen.com which seems very useful to the women world. This is a good initiative to reduce the disparity between the sexes in work environments.