Discrimination at the Intersection of Age, Race, and Gender: Evidence from an Eye‐Tracking Experiment

Abstract

AbstractThis paper uses a laboratory experiment with eye‐tracking and about 6,000 unique randomized resumes to explore the effects of race on employment discrimination over the life cycle for experienced applicants in their mid 30s to 70s. We find striking evidence of race discrimination against prime‐age Black job applicants that diminishes into middle age before re‐emerging for older applicants. Screeners in professional programs mechanically process Black and White resumes similarly, but spend less time on resumes for the younger Black applicants. We find evidence of levels‐based statistical discrimination, suggesting that screeners believe younger Black applicants to have worse computer skills and more gaps in their job histories. We also find evidence for variance‐based statistical discrimination against Black applicants of all ages, suggesting that screeners perceive the job history signal to be stronger for White applicants than for Black, disproportionately affecting older Black applicants. Evidence from a smaller companion study using Human Resources (HR) managers and from the Current Population Survey (CPS) supports the external validity of our experiment, particularly for female job applicants. Results are robust to a number of different controls and specification choices.