Gendered Accent Penalty: An Informal Network Perspective on Employment Discrimination

Does having a non-native accent have different effects for men and women’s chances of getting hired? Through two studies of hiring that include job applicants with native (North American) and non-native (Indian) accents, we draw on the stereotype content model to demonstrate that in recruitment and competence ratings, men with non-native accents are penalized more severely for their non-native accent compared to women. In Study 1, we found that women were not really penalized for their accents. We then replicated the findings of Study 1 in a second study with a managerial sample and tested informal network attractiveness as a key mediator in the relationship between male job applicant’s non-standard accent and their job suitability ratings. We found that informal network attractiveness mediates the relationship between male job applicant’s accent and job suitability ratings. The theoretical and practical implications of our research for scholarship on accent bias, intersectionality and hiring discrimination are discussed.