Two-hundred eighty-six employers from the state of Illinois were interviewed to determine their assessments of hypothetical job candidates with various characteristics. It was found that race of a potential employee was not an important factor in hiring decisions. However, the age, sex, and competence of the potential employee were found to affect decisions. The 25-year-old worker was preferred over the SS-year-old worker; males were preferred over females; and highly competent candidates received a stronger recommendation than barely competent candidates. Employers made little distinction between barely competent males and females and barely competent young and old workers, but for individuals of high competence, males were rated higher than females and younger workers higher than older workers.
Seventy‐two respondents completed a series of scales indicating their perceptions of a photographed bogus partner. Each partner was, in fact, the same person wearing a different form of dress. One of the judgments was a self‐rating of the physical attractiveness of the partner. ANOVA yielded significant effects for judgments of intelligence, morality, and psychological adjustment. For each judgment, significant differences were found between those who perceived their partners as attractive and neutrally attractive, and attractive and unattractive. These results support the hypothesis that the physical attractiveness stereotype can be extended to include the total body form.
Five-hundred eighty-eight employees from the state of Illinois were interviewed to determine the types of discriminatory feelings that exist in the work environment. Using a2X2X2X2 repeated measures design, it was found that race, sex, age, and competence were significant forms of discrimination. Employees would prefer not to work with blacks, women, older individuals, or barely competent persons. One significant interaction, sex by competence, was found. Employees made little distinction between barely competent males and females, but in the choice between highly competent males and females, they indicated a clear preference for highly competent males. When the sample was split on the basis of the demographic characteristics of sex, age, and race, it was found that blacks preferred working with other blacks, whereas females preferred working with other females. Older employees indicated that age made no difference in their preference for fellow employees.Job discrimination has usually been associated with racial bars to employment. In recent years, however, the concept of job discrimination has been expanded to include women and older individuals. There may also be a more subtle form of discrimination based upon the competence of the individual seeking employment. As Zimpel (1971) indicates, those who bring inadequate skills to the marketplace often are wholly excluded from the labor force, or are permitted access "only to the outermost, car-washing, floor-sweeping fringes" (p. 1).The focus of job discrimination research has been on employers. Triandis (1963) found that American personnel directors gave considerable weight to competence, race, and sociability as factors involved in the hiring of job applicants for a series of middle-and upper-management positions. Goldsmith (1970) reported that business and industry are less willing to employ or to continue training women for executive positions, whereas Rosen
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