Detecting Gender and Racial Discrimination in Hiring Through Monitoring Intermediation Services: The Case of Selected Occupations in Metropolitan Lima, Peru

Abstract

Inspired by audit studies methodology, we monitored a job intermediation service in Peru to detect gender and racial discrimination in hiring. We capture individual racial information using the approach of Ñopo, Saavedra, and Torero (2007), enabling a richer exploration of racial differences. Overall, the study finds discriminatory treatment in hiring only when comparing groups with extremely different observable racial characteristics. We detect discriminatory treatment for female Indigenous applicants in secretarial positions. In terms of aimed wages, females tend to ask for wages 7% below those of males with comparable skills (although this has no negative impact on wages at hiring). © 2011 Elsevier Ltd.