Hiring intentions at the intersection of gender, parenthood, and social status. A factorial survey experiment in the UK labour market

Extant literature points to the gender, parenthood, and social status of job applicants as crucial factors influencing employers’ hiring preferences and behaviours. However, little is known about whether and to what extent the intersection of these attributes leads to specific forms of hiring discrimination. This study aims to fill this research gap by examining whether labour market (dis)advantages related to gender, parenthood, and social status occur in an additive or interactive relationship. We conducted a factorial survey experiment in which more than 2,500 UK-based individuals with recruiting experience rated the profiles of fictitious candidates for various job vacancies. We found significant and substantial discrimination against mothers, indicating the existence of a cumulative disadvantage between being a woman and having children, while high-status candidates were more favourably positioned, albeit with noteworthy differences depending on how social status was signalled. Most interestingly, the motherhood penalty was significantly reduced (up to almost half) for high-status candidates, suggesting a compensatory effect of signalling a high status. This novel evidence in the British context highlights the importance of examining the intersection of different dimensions of discrimination and inequality.