Search Committee Diversity and Applicant Pool Representation of Women and Underrepresented Minorities: A Quasi-Experimental Field Study

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Kazmi, Maryam A.; Spitzmueller, Christiane; Yu, Jia; Madera, Juan M.; Tsao, Allison S.; Dawson, Jeremy F.; Pavlidis, Ioannis
• 署名单位: University of Houston System; University of Houston; Louisiana State University System; Louisiana State University Shreveport; University of Houston System; University of Houston; University of Sheffield; University of Houston System; University of Houston
• 刊物名称: JOURNAL OF APPLIED PSYCHOLOGY
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0021-9010
• DOI: 10.1037/apl0000725
• 发表日期: 2022
• 页码: 1414-1427
• 关键词: recruitment; homophily theory; diversity; applicant pools; gender and race

摘要

The diversification of applicant pools constitutes an important step for broadening the participation of women and underrepresented minorities (URMs) in the workforce. The current study focuses on recruiting diverse applicant pools in an academic setting. We test strategies grounded in homophily theory to attract a diverse set of applicants for open faculty positions. Analysis of recruitment data (13,750 job applications) showed that women search committee chairs and greater percentages of women on search committees related to more women applicants and that URMs search chairs and a greater percentage of URM members on search committees related to more URM applicants, resulting in 23% more women applicant pools with a woman chair and over 100% more URM applicants for a URM chair. Furthermore, women and URMs actively engage in ways to reach out to a more diverse set of applicants, whereas men and non-URMs' behavior maintains the status quo. We discuss the implications and advancement of homophily theory that can ultimately increase the representation of women and URM in the workforce.