Individual and situational predictors of intention to hire gay male and ultra-orthodox male job applicants

Purpose: This paper examines personal and situational factors that may contribute to biases in hiring decisions at the workplace, focusing on willingness to hire male gay or male Jewish ultra-Orthodox Jewish job candidates. Design/methodology/approach: 942 Jewish participants in Israel responded to an anonymous online questionnaire regarding a scenario addressing the possible employments of two male applicants: a homosexual and an ultra-Orthodox Jew. A variety of statistical tools, including regression analysis were performed to test hypotheses. Findings: Findings show that social dominance orientation, conservatism, gender and religiosity as well as frequency of contact with the “unlike other” impacted on hiring intention of the participants. These relationships varied in strength and direction with regard to the two applicant types in question. Practical implications: The explication of the phenomenon in question has both important theoretical and practical importance in a world where – concurrently – there exists increasing contact among individuals from different backgrounds and (perhaps not coincidently) increased signs of wariness of and discrimination toward those unlike ourselves. In light of economic costs related to discrimination – not to mention the personal costs to those discriminated against – organizations must better understand the dynamics of the phenomenon in question. Originality/value: This is one of the first empirical examinations of the relative impact of personal and situational factors on hiring bias. In addition, it is the first study of its kind in Israel focusing on the mechanisms behind hiring bias toward gay males and ultra-orthodox males.