Doctoral Dissertation Research: Gender and the Evaluation of Job Applicants in Interactive Settings

Cornell University, Ithaca NY

Investigators

Abstract

Shelley Correll Esther Quintero Cornell University Researchers have argued that occupational sex segregation will not be fully understood until detailed data are collected on natural (Biernat & Fuegen 2001) and non-scripted settings where men and women interact (Ridgeway & Correll 2004). Interactional sites are crucial to the maintenance and reproduction of hegemonic gender beliefs which often result in subtle, but cumulative disadvantages for women in the workplace (Ridgeway 1997). Thus, it is essential to examine interactional settings to understand and address persisting inequalities between men and women in employment. This project intends to make a direct contribution to this goal by applying formal theory established via laboratory experiments to a real-world context where actual job applicants interact with evaluators who are recruiting them for jobs. Although hiring settings are rarely accessible to researchers, this project identifies a unique context that permits direct observation and data collection on real hiring decisions made in the course of direct interaction. This study looks at the Spanish exam system that is used to recruit candidates to fill important government jobs where women are currently underrepresented; about 20% of these jobs are filled by women. In Spain, civil service competitions are public and consist of various qualifying rounds of testing where job applicants and evaluators interact face-to-face. Important gender differences have been observed at testing rounds that involve a high level of applicant-evaluator interaction, but not at rounds where interaction is minimal. This project will examine the content of these interactions, and will identify the specific mechanisms that are preventing women from being recruited. I observed, voice recorded, and transcribed 90 interactive exam sessions. An analysis of these taped sessions will help us understand why important gender differences emerge only in interactive rounds but not in others. The knowledge gained from this research will serve to generate theory based interventions to promote equal representation of men and women across industries and jobs. Current policy measures are not always effective partly because they are divorced from sociological theory and knowledge. This study will shed light on the specific processes by which evaluators and recruiters are often compelled to choose male applicants to fill the best jobs. A better understanding of such processes will guide policy recommendations to help women as they seek to obtain high status positions.