Triggering competence may protect multiple minority members from hiring discrimination

Hiring managers may consider hundreds of applicants for one position, leading to rapid decisions based on minimal information which may discriminate against certain individuals. However, past research shows that individuals belonging to multiple minority groups may, in fact, benefit from their intersectional status in certain contexts. First, to identify possible types of prejudice, the Attitudes Toward Gay Men (ATG) and Attitudes Toward Brazilian Men (ATB) explicit measures were created and paired with implicit association tests (IATs). Whereas participants did not show signs of explicit negative attitudes toward outgroup members, they did exhibit implicit preferences toward ingroup members. Using another sample from the same sociocultural context, potential discrimination faced by straight or gay Brazilian applicants in Portugal was examined in high or low competence scenarios, drawing inspiration from the stereotype content model. Results indicated, compared to ingroup applicants, straight and gay outgroup members were perceived alike in competence and were offered statistically similar salaries when competence was triggered; in contrast, only straight outgroup members were perceived as less competent and were offered statistically lower salaries when competence was not triggered. Findings suggest that multiple minority status may protect certain individuals from hiring discrimination, particularly in contexts where competence is not assumed.

Jonathan Reese, Ana Sofia Santos, Tomás A. Palma, Magda Sofia Roberto