University Study Finds That Women Who Wear Headscarfs Face Employment Discrimination

A study co-authored by Sonia Ghumman, assistant professor at the Shidler College of Business at the University of Hawaii, found that women wearing traditional headscarfs faced discrimination when applying for a job. The field study involved women of several different ethnicities between the ages of 19 and 22. The women were asked to inquire about jobs at retail stores and restaurants in two shopping malls in midwestern cities. The researchers tracked whether the women were given a job application, interaction time with owners or managers, call backs for job interviews, and whether the women faced any outward hostility.

The results showed that there was a negative result for women wearing headscarfs in all areas. Women with headscarfs were less successful than Muslim women who did not wear a headscarf.

The research, co-authored by Ann Marie Ryan, a professor of psychology at Michigan State University, appears in the May 2013 issue of Human Relations. The article, “Not Welcome Here: Discrimination Towards Women Who Wear Muslim Headscarf,” may be accessed here.