Discrimination against gays and lesbians in hiring decisions: a meta-analysis

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the true level of discrimination against openly gay and lesbian applicants in hiring decisions in OECD countries as well as on its determinants. Design/methodology/approach The author presents an overview of all studies conducted in order to test for discrimination against homosexual applicants in the labor market by the correspondence testing method. Moreover, the author performs a meta-analysis of correspondence tests from 18 separate studies conducted in OECD countries to test sexual orientation discrimination, containing more than 70 estimates of effects and representing a total of more than 50,000 resumes sent to employers. In addition to presenting overall results, the author focus on subgroups of specific correspondence tests in order to highlight the differences across gender, type of jobs, procedure, continent and type of information provided in applications. Findings The author provides evidence that sexual orientation discrimination occurs in the labor market in OECD countries, such that openly homosexual applicants face similar discrimination as ethnic minority applicants. Discrimination is significantly greater in the selection process for low-skilled than for high-skilled jobs. In the selection process for low-skilled jobs, lesbian candidates face significantly lower discrimination than gays (except in jobs that are considered “women’s” jobs). Discrimination is significantly higher in Europe than in North America. Moreover, the way sexual orientation is signaled may influence the level of discrimination found. Finally, discrimination against homosexual applicants is not only a matter of preferences: providing more positive information in applications significantly reduces the level of discrimination. Originality/value This paper offers the first quantitative analysis of sexual orientation discrimination in OECD countries through meta-analyses.

Sexual orientation and earnings: a meta-analysis 2012–2020

“…Forest plots enable observation of the earnings differences estimates per study and estimate the combined result derived from pooling the individual estimates (Schriger et al, 2010, Cuzick, 2005. Random effects specifications are provided when gauging the forest plots because the effect size is not the same for every study (Flage, 2020;Klawitter, 2015). The consideration was confirmed by conducting x 2 heterogeneity tests (Higgins and Thompson, 2002).…”

Discrimination, Work Stress, and Psychological Well-being in LGBTI Workers in Spain

“…Discrimination against LGBTI workers is reflected in many indices, such as those related to hiring decisions or salaries. Accordingly, Flage (2019) found, in a metaanalysis about discrimination against gays and lesbians in hiring decisions in OECD countries, that openly homosexual applicants faced similar discrimination as ethnic minority applicants. Discrimination in the selection process for LGBTI individuals was also significantly greater for low-skilled than for high-skilled job candidates, and significantly higher in European countries than in North America.…”

Location Inference for Hidden Population with Online Text Analysis

“…A population is "hidden" when no sampling frame exists and public acknowledgment of membership in the population is potentially threatening [1][2][3]. Examples of hidden populations include men who have sex with men (MSM) [4][5][6], lesbians [7][8][9], sex workers (SW) and injecting drug users (IDU).To date, the study of hidden populations has mainly focused on interviews and questionnaire surveys based on nonprobability sampling methods, e.g., snowball sampling [10] and respondent-driven sampling (RDS) [11,12] While in most cases, these traditional methods are inefficient, limited in sample size and representativeness, and challenged by privacy concerns and reporting errors [13][14][15][16]. Besides, with concerns about sensitivity and privacy, hidden populations tend to conceal their personal information, including their locations.…”