Can a name help you to identify what someones race is? This question has made its way into conversation for multiple years. Some people believe that it is possible to guess someone’s race or ethnicity due to their name. This misconception has lead to examples of discrimination at school or at work because a hiring or selecting power is viewing names and making the decision if that person should enter into the institution not only by observing their credentials but also making assumptions on how the person will be based on the sound of the applicant’s name.
There has been many incidents where the pronunciation of someone’s name has lead them to not become selected for an application of a job. The sayings “black sounding names” and “white sounding names” has become all to common and has left people with little opportunity based stereotypes that are attached to names that sound a certain way and even different areas where they live. In the article, Are Emily and Greg more employable than Lakisha and Jamal?, multiple experiments take place to see the different affects of how race and location have an impact on the application process while trying to receive a job. These experiments showed that even if it was not intentional, jobs would only be more likely to callback an applicant if they had a white sounding name or came from a neighborhood that was mainly associated with white people. The article explained how people with white sounding names were 50% more likely to get a call back for an interview with that job. People were less likely to get a callback for an interview if their address had the image as an African American neighborhood. The idea of a name or an address has a huge impact on the lives of people who do not fall under the category of having a "white sounding name". This connects to the class race and ethnicity because it shows how certain races and ethnicities are disadvantaged due to the names people give their children that reflect their culture but put these children in more difficult situations when they are at the job interview stage of their lives.
http://www.nber.org/papers/w9873.pdf
I had so many second hand experiences with employment discrimination and workforce discrimination. My cousins have not been able to receive a job and if they gained a job had difficulty in keeping that job. However, my cousin that I live with, since we live in a predominately white neighborhood and are apart of the upper middle class, it was easy for him to receive high positions for jobs. As well, since his name is unidentifiable as either "white" or "black" the employer couldn't use that against him when looking at his resume. It has been seen numerous times how African Americans are being mistreated. Even though this has been occurring for some time, I think simple laws governing to make sure race does not play part in application process can help eliminate the indirect discriminatory laws even though people who have racist mindsets will still exist.
It is incredibly sad that something as unrelated to a person's actual skill level or qualifications for a job as a name is, can be such a deciding factor. Not only is it upsetting that our country still gives into racism this much when considering employment, but that many are not even willing to give a person a chance, even for an interview, based on the sound of their name, and whatever implications that may have for them. It is so frustrating that we are still stuck in a place where an incredibly highly qualified individual may be entirely passed up and given no opportunity simply because of their name.
I had so many second hand experiences with employment discrimination and workforce discrimination. My cousins have not been able to receive a job and if they gained a job had difficulty in keeping that job. However, my cousin that I live with, since we live in a predominately white neighborhood and are apart of the upper middle class, it was easy for him to receive high positions for jobs. As well, since his name is unidentifiable as either "white" or "black" the employer couldn't use that against him when looking at his resume. It has been seen numerous times how African Americans are being mistreated. Even though this has been occurring for some time, I think simple laws governing to make sure race does not play part in application process can help eliminate the indirect discriminatory laws even though people who have racist mindsets will still exist.
ReplyDeleteIt is incredibly sad that something as unrelated to a person's actual skill level or qualifications for a job as a name is, can be such a deciding factor. Not only is it upsetting that our country still gives into racism this much when considering employment, but that many are not even willing to give a person a chance, even for an interview, based on the sound of their name, and whatever implications that may have for them. It is so frustrating that we are still stuck in a place where an incredibly highly qualified individual may be entirely passed up and given no opportunity simply because of their name.
ReplyDelete