The research question is if homosexual married men are favoured in the hiring process over homosexual single men in the German labour market, and secondly if this "marriage-effect" is stronger for homosexual men than for heterosexual men. To be able to answer this question, a Correspondence Test has to be conducted. Four fictional applications of males who vary in their sexual orientation (heterosexual versus homosexual) and marital status (married versus single) will be sent to vacancies in the sixteen German provincial capitals and sixteen rural regions in Germany.
Since the first of October 2017, same-sex couples in Germany have the right to marry. Until this point in time, homosexual couples could only enter into a registered partnership with the same duties, but not the same rights as heterosexual married couples. This significant development in law may introduce new problems and challenges. Ann Ferguson (2007), for one, criticises that homosexual marriage could shift social hierarchies, which in return creates a new differentiation between homosexual people who live in a single household and the more socially accepted married homosexual couples. Butler (2004) argued that homosexual marriage could be understood as a way to push homosexuals into a normalized lifestyle – for example, marriage, a monogamous family life, and also successful careers, which could increase social acceptance.
In this sense, this paper is building on the work by Weichselbaumer (2013) who examined the difference in economic outcome between single lesbians and lesbians in a registered partnership in Munich and Berlin. She found no differences between single and partnered lesbians in Munich – both groups are treated unfavourably in comparison to heterosexual women. In Berlin, she found out that there is no discrimination based on sexual orientation. But some studies showed that negative attitudes towards homosexual men are more present than towards lesbians and that employers may have preferences for male employees with one steady married partner. If this is the case, homosexual men may benefit more from signalling that they live in a marriage than lesbian women would. Therefore, this paper sets forth the study of Weichselbaumer (2013) by focusing on homosexual men instead of lesbians, and on the other hand, by measuring the effect after the legislation of same-sex marriage in Germany.
Table of Contents
1. INTRODUCTION
2. THEORETICAL BACKGROUND
2.1 DIFFERENCES IN EARNINGS
2.2 EXPERIMENTS ON DISCRIMINATION AGAINST HOMOSEXUAL MEN AND LESBIANS
3. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN
3.1 METHOD
3.2 HYPOTHESIS
3.3 CITIES
3.4 OCCUPATIONS
3.5 APPLICATION DOCUMENTS
3.6 PROCEDURE
3.7 EVALUATION OF THE RESULTS
4. CONCLUSION
5. REFERENCES
Research Objectives and Core Themes
The paper aims to investigate the existence and extent of discrimination against homosexual men in the German labour market, specifically examining whether marital status influences hiring outcomes in the post-legislation era of same-sex marriage.
- Analysis of discrimination patterns regarding sexual orientation in the hiring process.
- The impact of marriage as a signaling mechanism for social acceptance and professional stability.
- Comparison of hiring success between single and married homosexual men.
- Evaluation of the "marriage-effect" across different demographic and regional settings in Germany.
Excerpt from the Publication
Experiments on discrimination against homosexual men and lesbians
This part of the empirical background conducts correspondence tests to examine sexual orientation discrimination in the hiring process. For this, applications from individuals with identical qualifications but different demographic characteristics were sent out to multiple firms. They defined discrimination as the fact that one applicant was invited to interviews more often than the other. The results of these correspondence tests showed that homosexual people are less successful in the hiring process than heterosexual people (e.g. Adams, 1981; Weichselbaumer, 2003; Drydakis, 2009; Tilcsik, 2011). For example, Tilcsik (2011) found a statistically significant difference in response rates in the states of Florida, Ohio and Texas favouring the heterosexual applicant (11.5% compared to 7.2%). He found no differences in California, Nevada, Pennsylvania and New York. Ahmed, Andersson and Hammarstedt (2013) examined discrimination against homosexual men and lesbians in Sweden. Weichselbaumer (2013) discovered an equal effect between single and married lesbians in Germany. Both studies sent only one random selected application to one job offering of firms.
Chapter Summary
1. INTRODUCTION: Outlines the shift in legal rights for same-sex couples in Germany and sets the objective to study potential hiring discrimination against homosexual men.
2. THEORETICAL BACKGROUND: Defines types of discrimination and reviews existing literature on wage gaps and empirical correspondence tests regarding sexual orientation.
3. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: Describes the methodology of using four fictional applications to test hiring preferences based on sexual orientation and marital status.
4. CONCLUSION: Summarizes the research scope as a foundational study for future analysis on discrimination post-legislation of same-sex marriage.
5. REFERENCES: Provides a comprehensive list of academic sources and literature used to support the research framework.
Keywords
Discrimination, Homosexual Men, Labour Market, Field Experiment, Correspondence Testing, Marital Status, Same-Sex Marriage, Hiring Process, Marriage Premium, Germany, Sexual Orientation, Social Acceptance, Recruitment, Economic Outcome, Labour Economics
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary focus of this research paper?
The paper investigates whether there is discrimination against homosexual men in the German labour market, specifically focusing on how marital status affects the success of job applicants after the legalization of same-sex marriage.
What are the central themes discussed in the study?
The study covers the theoretical definitions of discrimination, the economic outcomes for homosexual individuals, the concept of a "marriage premium," and the empirical design of correspondence testing.
What is the research question addressed by the author?
The research asks if homosexual married men are favored over single homosexual men in hiring, and whether this "marriage-effect" differs in strength when compared to heterosexual men.
Which scientific methodology is applied in this paper?
The author proposes using a "Correspondence Test," involving the submission of four types of fictional job applications that vary only in sexual orientation and marital status, sent to various vacancies in Germany.
What content is covered in the main section of the paper?
The main section details the construction of the experiment, including the selection of occupations, regional distribution of applications, and the specific procedure for evaluating call-back rates.
Which keywords best characterize this work?
The work is characterized by terms like discrimination, correspondence testing, sexual orientation, labour market, and same-sex marriage.
How does the author distinguish between different types of discrimination?
The author references statistical, preference-based, and implicit discrimination in the theoretical background but clarifies that the experiment itself measures only the existence of overall discrimination, not its specific type.
Why does the author exclude application photos from the experimental design?
The author excludes photos to prevent the "attractivity" of an applicant from skewing the results, citing literature that suggests physical appearance has a significant impact on hiring decisions.
- Arbeit zitieren
- Nadine Trieschmann (Autor:in), 2018, Discrimination against homosexual men with different marital status in Germany’s labour market, München, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/906341
