Meta-analysis of field experiments shows no change in racial discrimination in hiring over time
Abstract
Many scholars have argued that discrimination in American society has decreased over time, while others point to persisting race and ethnic gaps and subtle forms of prejudice. The question has remained unsettled due to the indirect methods often used to assess levels of discrimination. We assess trends in hiring discrimination against African Americans and Latinos over time by analyzing callback rates from all available field experiments of hiring, capitalizing on the direct measure of discrimination and strong causal validity of these studies. We find no change in the levels of discrimination against African Americans since 1989, although we do find some indication of declining discrimination against Latinos. The results document a striking persistence of racial discrimination in US labor markets.
- Publication:
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Proceedings of the National Academy of Science
- Pub Date:
- October 2017
- DOI:
- 10.1073/pnas.1706255114
- Bibcode:
- 2017PNAS..11410870Q