In the scenario with the hiring of a new marketing manager the employee has interviewed a candidate that he believes has the necessary skills and background for the position. But for some reason or other, his coworker feels that the person may not be a good fit for the position. Due to the fact that the candidate has the necessary experience and education for the position, it leads me to believe that the coworker 's decision stems from some sort of social bias or stereotype.
A stereotype is an overgeneralization that will attribute identical characteristics to everyone in a group. A stereotype is a fixed impression which may have little facts to back up beliefs that can be based on hearsay, rumors, or anecdotal evidence (Stereotyping, 2005). The coworker 's decision could also stem from of avoidance, where he is avoiding members of a group. Stereotypes are forms of the availability heuristic, which allows people to estimate the likelihood of an outcome based on how easy it is to imagine. This coworker 's stereotype of Hispanic Woman has led him to decide that the candidate would not be suitable, without even considering her qualifications. The stereotype could be of racial, sexist and/or discriminatory in nature, which are leading him to these biases.
According to Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, it prohibits discrimination in hiring, promotion, discharge, pay,
References: Plous, Scott. (1993). The Psychology Of Judgment And Decision Making. McGraw-Hill, Inc. Stereotyping, 2005. Sterotyping. Retrieved on December 2nd, 2005 from the World Wide Web: http://www.ship.edu/~ambart/PSY_220/stereoprejol.htm The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, 2005. Employers and Other Entities Covered by EEO Laws. Retrieved on December 2, 2005 from the World Wide Web: http://www.eeoc.gov/abouteeo/overview_coverage.html