Discrimination against Women in Hiring

Adam Osman (), Jamin D. Speer () and Andrew Weaver ()
Additional contact information
Adam Osman: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Jamin D. Speer: University of Memphis
Andrew Weaver: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

No 16598, IZA Discussion Papers from Institute of Labor Economics (IZA)

Abstract: We study discrimination in hiring and its associated outcomes for the discriminators using a unique survey of Egyptian businesses. Discrimination against women is widespread and overt: about half (51%) of establishments directly admit that they prefer to hire men. The share varies widely across industries, from 60% in retail to only 16% in IT. Using a list randomization technique, we can rule out that discrimination against women is heavily stigmatized in Egypt, meaning that establishments are willing to admit it openly. We then provide novel suggestive evidence showing that discriminating against women is associated the employment of lower-quality workers. We also provide guidance on the use of the list randomization technique and how to interpret it in settings with limited stigma.

Keywords: list randomization; discrimination; Egypt (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: C83 J16 J71 O12 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 38 pages
Date: 2023-11
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-ara and nep-lab
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Published - published in: Economic Development and Cultural Change, 2025, 73 (2), 781-809

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