ustxtxb_obs_1973_09_07_50_00008-00000_000.pdf

MEXICO CITY -TEL U MA Calle Orizab 16 Mexico 7, O.F. Repres. Wolfe International New York A truly distinguished hotel located within strolling distance of the best of Mexico City . . . key business areas, superb restaurants and exciting night spots. E SWB U.S. $7.60$9.00 DWB. U.S. $9.00$10.00 150 Rooms, Group Rates Available. NTED MEN WANTED MEN WAN1 Austin The Texas Public Interest Research a “non-profit student-directed and funded association dedicated to objective research in the public interest,” was interested in researching the possibility that state agencies and the City of Austin discriminate against women in their hiring practices. So it went job-hunting. More specifically, four UT-Austin students went job-hunting in pairs; two undergraduates, one male and one female, and two law students, one male and one female. The results, TexPIRG reports, “revealed discrimination in some state agencies and by the City of Austin to be open and blatant.” The experiment was designed to be as controlled as possible. Pseudo-resumes for the pairs_ were almost identical \(undergraduate: single, 20 years old, high school diploma and five semesters at U.T. with identical programs, the same summer-job experience, typing speed 55 wpm; law student: single, 22, U.T. degree in government and history, one semester of is possible, of course, that the experimenters’ personalities or approaches to personnel workers were markedly different, but all four were told to use the same initial “come-on,” an interest in advancement. They were also told to emphasize their resumes, and the law students to suggest managerial or administrative positions as preferred fields. The state agencies to be “hit” were chosen more or less randomly, says the report, but only agencies with large work forces and opportunities for persons without special qualifications such as chemistry degrees were considered. The Highway Department, the Texas Water Quality Board, the State Board of 8 The Texas Observer Insurance, the Texas Education Agency and the General Land Office were selected as subjects for study, along with the city hiring office. TexPIRG’s summary of results states that “the City of Austin, the Highway Department and the State Board of Insurance discriminated openly against all of our women applicants. The Water Quality Board and the Education Agency did discriminate against the undergraduate women, but treated applicants with degrees equally. If there was any discrimination in the General Land Office, it was relatively subtle and consisted of encouraging the man while being indifferent to the woman.” The research group acknowledged that the charges covered only one part of the employment experience, but called initial hiring interviews the most important single stage. Researchers’ reports of their interview experiences, recorded immediately after visits to the offices, were appended. Some excerpts: At the city hiring office, the female undergraduage was told that “I must take a typing and steno test before I could receive an interview”; the male undergraduate was interviewed, and told that no jobs except secretarial positions were open. The female law student was also asked to take a typing test and was told only men’s jobs were available, though she was allowed to see a list of them. The male was told by an interviewer that no administrative jobs were open. At the Highway Department, the female undergraduate was told no jobs were open; when she asked what she qualified for, the interviewer told her she could get a secretarial job with no trouble. The male undergraduate also told no jobs were open, and, he felt, the interviewer “seemed .to direct me away from any clerk[‘s position] .” The female law student was told she could have a job as a secretary, but the offer was withdrawn when she admitted she had no shorthand skills. The other job mentioned was “clerk-typist,” which after several years might lead to a position as an Administrative Technician. The Administrative Technician post was also mentioned to the male law student, but as one for which he could qualify immediately, except that no positions were open. At the State Board of Insurance, the interviewer was “frank” and “practical” with the female undergraduate, advising her that her qualifications made office work about all to expect. The male undergraduate was told he would qualify as an Investigator. The female law student was almost hired twice, once by a man as a clerk-typist on a computer terminal \(with the opportunity to become a supervisor of clerk-typists on computer no positions were open, but that he qualified for administrative positions in the Rating Division and for a Policy Analyst post, at $500 to $1,000 a month. At the Texas Education Agency, the female undergraduate had “clerical” writen across her application before the interviewer had even finished reading it. The interviewer then offered her a position at $360-410 a month. The male undergraduate was told nothing was available, but that he qualified for a job in the textbook department doing filing. The female law student was told she could not qualify for professional positions, since they required teaching assistance, but was offered an open clerical job at $410 a month. The interviewer expressed some awareness that she was not interested in such a position: he said she should take it if she was desperate, that her qualifications should ensure advancement. The male law student was also informed he did not qualify for most “skilled” positions and was also told he could qualify for clerical or stenographic jobs. At the Texas Water Quality Board, the female undergraduate was not given an interview because she refused to take a typing test. The male undergraduate was told his inadequate typing and shorthand made it unlikely he would qualify for clerical jobs, but that he might qualify for a position as an Administrative Technician, though no posts were open. The female law student was told she would qualify as a professional, but that no positions were open. The interviewer, she said, was “encouraging,” telling her at one point the interviewer would “hate to see” her take a clerical job. The male law student was told he qualified for an