The impact of sexual orientation, race, and gender on leadership evaluations

Abstract

The current study examined the multiple effects of job applicant’s race, gender, and sexual orientation on interview evaluations and hiring recommendations, for a leadership position. By way of online recruitment, participants (N=297) were randomly assigned to one of eight conditions: 2 (race) X 2 (sexual orientation) X 2 (gender). Participants were presented with a pre-recorded employment interview, job description, and résumé along with evaluation measures. Factorial MANOVA indicated no main effects or interaction effects on interview evaluations and hiring recommendations. Mean scores suggests that White female applicants (heterosexual and homosexual) are the most disadvantaged subgroups when leadership positions are considered. Blacks had significantly more negative attitudes towards gay/lesbian applicants compared to Whites; however, Whites rated gay/lesbian applicants lower than Blacks did. Limitations and future research are discussed.