Degree

BS (Social Sciences & Liberal Arts)

Faculty / School

School of Economics and Social Sciences (SESS)

Department

Department of Social Sciences & Liberal Arts

Date of Award

Fall 2019

Date of Submission

2023-06-08

Advisor

Dr. Gulnaz Anjum, Associate Professor, Department of Social Sciences & Liberal Arts

Project Type

SSLA Culminating Experience

Access Type

Restricted Access

Abstract

Over the decades studies have shown that employers engage in gender bias, age- bias, physical attractiveness bias while making hiring decision. However, recently studies have started showing that employers also engage in accent- related bias while making hiring decisions. This field of study has not been explored in Pakistan and accents spoken in Pakistan. This is a quantitative study which investigates perceptions held by undergraduate students towards five accents; Elite English Accent also known as the British Standard English Accent (BrSE), Pakistani English Accent (PakE) accent, Sindhi English Accent, Punjabi English Accent and Pashto Accent. Participants were first primed with one of the five accents using a between group experimental design. Then the accents were accessed on 3 scales; perceived competence, job suitably, hiring recommendation and in the end whether to hire the candidate or not. Statistical data were analyzed using STATA/SE 13.0. The study revealed that Elite English (BrSe) Accent is the most preferred accent by employers when recruiting while PakE accent is the second preferred accent. Hence, an individual with an Elite English (BrSe) Accent in Pakistan is more likely be hired, considered competent and suitable for the job over individuals with PakE, Sindhi, Pashto and Punjabi English Accent having the same level of experience, skill set and education.

Pages

42

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