Doctoral Dissertation Research: Recruitment, Hiring Practices, and Wage Gaps

Utah State University, Logan UT

Investigators

Abstract

SES-1333226 PI: Christy Glass Co-PI: Elizabeth Kiester Utah State University Scholars have identified a phenomenon known as the motherhood wage penalty with research demonstrating that women with children face wage discrepancies beyond those associated with being female. Experimental research has allowed scholars to document respondents' negative assessments of mothers' work-related aptitude relative to childless women and men. However, the ways in which the policy environment shapes employer behavior, and the correlation between what employers do and what they say they do in actual work environments, has yet to be examined. The primary research question of this project is "how do employer recruitment and hiring practices shape mothers' access to jobs?" The investigators hypothesize that employers' recruitment and hiring practices can create barriers to mothers' employment through employer bias and discrimination. This project employs a novel mixed-methods approach, combining a multi-state audit study with qualitative employer interviews. First, the audit study provides data for a quantitative analysis predicting the likelihood of a mother receiving a callback for an interview. Second, qualitative interviews allow employers to describe and explain in depth their policies and practices that lead to the outcomes measured in the audit study. The project concludes by comparing observations from the audit study with employer responses. This research fills a gap in the existing literature by addressing this mechanism that may not only be creating barriers to employment but contributing to the motherhood wage penalty as well. This question comes at an important time when legal precedence has long since been established to prevent discrimination yet reports continue to reveal discriminatory practices and outcomes. Broader Impacts: This project tests whether, to what degree and to what effect mothers are a target of employer discrimination. In addition to contributing to theory and research in the fields of gender, work and organizations, these findings will potentially influence employer practices, anti-discrimination laws and employment policies. Additionally, this project adds a comparative element that examines effects of both state- level policies and firm-level characteristics.