Talking proper – could accent bias harm your job prospects?

Summary

The video explores how accent biases in the UK influence people's opportunities, particularly in accessing elite professions. Research shows that people often judge job candidates' competence based on their accent, with working-class London accents facing the most discrimination. Despite identical answers, these accents were rated lower than standard accents. However, awareness training can reduce reliance on accent stereotypes. The video emphasizes the importance of developing confidence and technical expertise, which can help overcome accent-based biases and improve career prospects.

Takeaways

• 🗣️ Everyone in the UK has an accent, and these accents are linked to various aspects of identity such as social class, ethnicity, gender, and age.
• 🔍 People's attitudes towards accents are significant and can impact someone's ability to progress in life.
• 🎯 The research focuses on two key questions: what are current attitudes to accents in the UK, and do these attitudes lead to discrimination?
• ⚖️ Experiments revealed that accent stereotypes can influence judgments of a job candidate's competence, even when the content of their answers is identical.
• 🏆 A hierarchy of accent prestige persists in the UK, reflecting a system that has been in place for centuries.
• 🚫 The most discrimination was observed against working-class London accents, both black and white speakers.
• 🔊 Even when identical answers were given, accents deemed 'less prestigious' were rated as less competent.
• 💡 Public and private sectors are adopting recommendations and resources from the research to raise awareness and combat accent bias.
• 📉 A small amount of awareness training was shown to reduce reliance on accent bias in judgments.
• 💪 Confidence and technical expertise were found to be highly valued and could help override accent discrimination.

Q & A

What is the main focus of the research described in the transcript?

The research focuses on understanding people's current attitudes towards different accents in the UK and examining whether these attitudes lead to discrimination in accessing elite professions and getting ahead in life.

What kind of experiment did the researchers conduct to study accent bias?

The researchers conducted mock job interviews for law firms using voice recordings of job candidates with different accents to observe if accent stereotypes influenced perceptions of competence.

Which accents faced the most discrimination according to the research findings?

The most discrimination was observed against the two working-class London accents, specifically those of a black working-class speaker and a white working-class speaker.

How long has the current hierarchy of accent prestige been present in the UK?

The current hierarchy of accent prestige has been in place in the UK for at least 50 years and likely for a couple of centuries.

What impact did accent stereotypes have on the job interview results?

Accent stereotypes led to certain accents being rated as less competent for the job, even when the content of the answers given by the candidates was identical to those provided in a standard accent.

What actions have been taken based on the research findings?

There has been significant uptake from both the public and private sectors to implement the research recommendations and resources in training and awareness programs.

What change has been observed when people are made aware of accent bias?

Awareness-raising has been shown to genuinely change people’s behaviors and reduce their reliance on accent bias when evaluating others.

Which two qualities can help override accent discrimination according to the research?

Confidence and technical expertise were found to be highly valued and tended to override any accent discrimination.

What advice is given to young people regarding overcoming accent bias?

Young people are advised to focus on developing confidence and technical expertise, as these are the most important factors in being perceived positively, regardless of their accent.

Why is it important to study accent bias in the context of job interviews?

Studying accent bias in job interviews is crucial because it can reveal underlying discrimination that affects people's ability to access elite professions and progress in their careers based on factors unrelated to their actual competence.