Using correspondence testing, we investigate how job characteristics affect gender discrimination in hiring. In particular, we analyse whether discrimination against women is moderated by the occupation’s sex composition, required level of decision-making and expected educational level. To do so, we carried out a correspondence study in 2016, in which we sent two pairs of matched male–female applications to 1371 job postings for a heterogeneous selection of occupations in two large cities in Spain. Differences in response rates and response order by gender were then used as a tool to assess discrimination. The results show that job characteristics matter for gender discrimination and that their effects are complementary. Women were particularly discriminated against in connection with jobs that involved decision-making, in male-dominated and mixed occupations, and in jobs requiring both high and low education levels. This discrimination is likely to stem from the activation of both stereotypes and prejudices.

使用对应测试，我们调查工作特征如何影响招聘中的性别歧视。特别是，我们分析了职业的性别构成，所需的决策水平和预期的教育水平是否减轻了对妇女的歧视。为此，我们在2016年进行了一项信函研究，在该研究中，我们向西班牙的两个大城市中的1371个职位发布了两对匹配的男女申请，以选择不同的职业。然后，将答复率和答复顺序（按性别）的差异用作评估歧视的工具。结果表明，工作特征对性别歧视至关重要，其作用是互补的。在涉及决策的工作中，妇女特别受到歧视，在男性占主导地位的混合职业中，以及需要高低文化程度的工作中。这种歧视可能源于刻板印象和偏见的激活。