Your name is something that you grow up with and usually don't think twice about it. It is a major part of an individuals identity, and it is unfortunate that people are given different opportunities based on judgements about their race and demeanor suggested simply by their name. A study done by Colin Holbrook at UCLA in 2015 confirmed that there is prejudice in how people treat others based on their names. Specifically, people stereotyped with black names are treated worse. In his experiment, he asked people to share assumptions of people based on 4 names: Connor, Jamal, Wyatt and DwShawn.
Results showed that participants imagined Jamal and Deshawn as larger, black and more violent than Connor or Wyatt. These perceptions of violence also correlated to perceptions of decreased socioeconomic status. This study adds to the increasing number of research linking discrimination to perceptions of race. A study done by Harvard reveals that many individuals take part in what is now known as "resume whitening" where candidates for a job change their name to seem more appealing. These whitened resumes have been proven to produce more job call backs for people of color. This proves that discrimination in the work place is very much prevalent today.
My name is Emma. I have done interviews over the phone and then gone to meet the interviewer in person and was told "oh, you're not what I was expecting". Basically, oh, I didn't know you were going to be black. In my internship last summer, the only other black person's name was Cary and we talked about how we often found ourselves changing out voices on phone interviews due to fears that we may be immediately seen as unfit for the position if the interviewer realized that we were black.
This kind of thinking is creating a negative group based stereotype where interviewers feel they can determine the value of a candidate by quickly scanning a resume for a name. Everyone deserves to be on a level playing field, and these kinds of perspectives is exactly what will continue a long lasting racial divide within the United States.
Course Reference: Bertrand, M & Mullainathan, S. (2004). "Are Emily and Greg more employable than Lakisha and Jamal." In Andersen, M. L., & Collins, P. H. (2019). Race, class, and gender: intersections and inequalities (pp 257-261). Boston, MA: Cengage.
Rowely, L. (n.d.). New Study Confirms Racial Bias in Names. Retrieved October 9, 2015, from https://www.mic.com/articles/126544/new-study-confirms-racial-bias-in-names
Results showed that participants imagined Jamal and Deshawn as larger, black and more violent than Connor or Wyatt. These perceptions of violence also correlated to perceptions of decreased socioeconomic status. This study adds to the increasing number of research linking discrimination to perceptions of race. A study done by Harvard reveals that many individuals take part in what is now known as "resume whitening" where candidates for a job change their name to seem more appealing. These whitened resumes have been proven to produce more job call backs for people of color. This proves that discrimination in the work place is very much prevalent today.
My name is Emma. I have done interviews over the phone and then gone to meet the interviewer in person and was told "oh, you're not what I was expecting". Basically, oh, I didn't know you were going to be black. In my internship last summer, the only other black person's name was Cary and we talked about how we often found ourselves changing out voices on phone interviews due to fears that we may be immediately seen as unfit for the position if the interviewer realized that we were black.
This kind of thinking is creating a negative group based stereotype where interviewers feel they can determine the value of a candidate by quickly scanning a resume for a name. Everyone deserves to be on a level playing field, and these kinds of perspectives is exactly what will continue a long lasting racial divide within the United States.
Course Reference: Bertrand, M & Mullainathan, S. (2004). "Are Emily and Greg more employable than Lakisha and Jamal." In Andersen, M. L., & Collins, P. H. (2019). Race, class, and gender: intersections and inequalities (pp 257-261). Boston, MA: Cengage.
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