Economics Seminar - Breaking ties: Experimental evidence on subtle discrimination

Legal prohibitions have reduced overt discrimination. However, subtle discrimination not only remains prevalent but also difficult to detect, primarily due to plausible deniability. Using an experiment, we investigate subtle gender discrimination as inferred from systematically biased tie-breaking by employers facing equally qualified male and female candidates. We observe subtle discrimination across different task categories, consistent with gender stereotypes. Male participants subtly discriminate against women in math tasks, while both male and female participants discriminate against men in verbal tasks. Possible mechanisms are discussed.