Social psychological factors behind ethnic discrimination in employee selection

Abstract

The present study examines the social psychological factors behind the ethnic discrimination of Kurdish groups in organisations by applying audit studies. The hypotheses derived from Social Identity and Social Dominance theories were tested in two studies. The findings revealed that the employment chances of candidates from the Southeastern province of Turkey where a sizable Kurdish population lives is significantly lower than those from other regions. The finding that decision-makers maintain a high level of social distance from the Kurdish ethnic group when compared to other social groups points to a tendency to discriminate against Kurdish people.