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Hiring Discrimination Against Transgender People: Evidence from a Field Experiment

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  • Granberg, Mark
  • Andersson, Per A.
  • Ahmed, Ali

Abstract

This paper presents the results of the first correspondence study that examined hiring discrimination against transgender people. Fictitious job applications (N = 2,224) were sent to employers with job postings in 12 low-skill occupations in Sweden. Overall, 40 percent of cisgender applicants and 34 percent of transgender applicants received a positive employer response to their applications. This result was not robust to the Heckman-Siegelman critique. However, when transgender applicants were compared to the dominant gender in male- and female-dominated occupations, estimates of discrimination were larger and robust to the critique. There was no clear support for the statistical discrimination hypothesis.

Suggested Citation

  • Granberg, Mark & Andersson, Per A. & Ahmed, Ali, 2020. "Hiring Discrimination Against Transgender People: Evidence from a Field Experiment," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 65(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:labeco:v:65:y:2020:i:c:s0927537120300646
    DOI: 10.1016/j.labeco.2020.101860
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    Cited by:

    1. Compton, Olivia, 2024. "A Transgender and Gender Diverse Critique of LGBTQ+ Economics," MPRA Paper 122465, University Library of Munich, Germany, revised 16 Oct 2024.
    2. Tomlin, Bryan, 2024. "Pronoun usage and gender identity's effects on market outcomes: Evidence from a preregistered field experiment," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 236(C).
    3. Drydakis, Nick, 2021. "The Economics of Being LGBT. A Review: 2015-2020," IZA Discussion Papers 14845, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    4. Ali Ahmed & Mark Granberg & Shantanu Khanna, 2021. "Gender discrimination in hiring: An experimental reexamination of the Swedish case," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 16(1), pages 1-15, January.
    5. Jonathan Reese & Ana Sofia Santos & Tomás A. Palma & Magda Sofia Roberto, 2023. "Triggering competence may protect multiple minority members from hiring discrimination," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 10(1), pages 1-14, December.
    6. Abbate, Nicolás & Berniell, Inés & Coleff, Joaquín & Laguinge, Luis & Machelett, Margarita & Marchionni, Mariana & Pedrazzi, Julián & Pinto, María Florencia, 2024. "Discrimination against gay and transgender people in Latin America: A correspondence study in the rental housing market," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 87(C).
    7. Shanaev, Savva & Skorochodova, Arina & Vasenin, Mikhail, 2023. "LGBT CEOs and stock returns: Diagnosing rainbow ceilings and cliffs," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 66(C).
    8. Aksoy, Billur & Carpenter, Christopher S. & Sansone, Dario, 2022. "Understanding Labor Market Discrimination against Transgender People: Evidence from a Double List Experiment and a Survey," IZA Discussion Papers 15542, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    9. Mann, Samuel, 2020. "The Labour Force Status of Transgender People and The Impact of Removing Surgical Requirements to Change Gender on ID Documents," GLO Discussion Paper Series 670, Global Labor Organization (GLO).
    10. Mann, Samuel, 2021. "Transgender employment and gender marker laws," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 73(C).
    11. Klavs Ciprikis & Damien Cassells & Jenny Berrill, 2024. "Transgender self-employment outcomes: evidence from the USA," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 63(3), pages 871-896, October.
    12. Nettuno, Laura, 2024. "Gender identity, labor market outcomes, and socioeconomic status: Evidence from Chile," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 87(C).
    13. Luca Fumarco & Benjamin Harrell & Patrick Button & David Schwegman & E Dils, 2020. "Gender Identity, Race, and Ethnicity-based Discrimination in Access to Mental Health Care: Evidence from an Audit Correspondence Field Experiment," NBER Working Papers 28164, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    14. Lane, Tom, 2024. "The strategic use of social identity," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 224(C), pages 355-368.
    15. Fabio Fasoli & David M. Frost & Harley Serdet, 2024. "How voice transition and gender identity disclosure shape perceptions of trans men in the hiring process," Gender, Work and Organization, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 31(1), pages 36-58, January.
    16. Taryn Eames, 2024. "Taryn versus Taryn (she/her) versus Taryn (they/them): A Field Experiment on Pronoun Disclosure and Hiring Discrimination," Working Papers tecipa-766, University of Toronto, Department of Economics.
    17. Schaerer, Michael & du Plessis, Christilene & Nguyen, My Hoang Bao & van Aert, Robbie C.M. & Tiokhin, Leo & Lakens, Daniël & Giulia Clemente, Elena & Pfeiffer, Thomas & Dreber, Anna & Johannesson, Mag, 2023. "On the trajectory of discrimination: A meta-analysis and forecasting survey capturing 44 years of field experiments on gender and hiring decisions," Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Elsevier, vol. 179(C).
    18. Shannon, Matthew, 2022. "The labour market outcomes of transgender individuals," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 77(C).

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Field experiment; Correspondence test; Transgender people; Discrimination; Labor market;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • C93 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Design of Experiments - - - Field Experiments
    • J15 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Economics of Minorities, Races, Indigenous Peoples, and Immigrants; Non-labor Discrimination
    • J16 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Economics of Gender; Non-labor Discrimination
    • J23 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Labor Demand
    • J71 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Labor Discrimination - - - Hiring and Firing

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