People Link Career Success With Names,
Study Finds
Contact: James Bruning, (740) 593-2553, bruningj@ohio.edu
Attention editors, reporters: For a copy of the journal article on which
this release is based, contact Andrea Gibson at (740) 597-2166 or Charlene
Clifford at (740) 593-0946.
ATHENS, Ohio (June 6, 2000) -- Who would more likely be successful as a plumber,
Marge or Susan? As a construction worker, Jack or Wesley? A new study on names and
occupations suggests that people subconsciously predict career success for
those with names that more closely match the gender stereotype associated
with a profession.
In this era of political correctness, gender stereotypes for names and
occupations remain, says James Bruning, Trustee professor of psychology at
Ohio University and lead author of the study.
"Grouping is one of the ways our brains work," he says. "So I think
stereotyping is an example of the way we tend to think -- it's a natural
tendency."
Though employers weigh several factors when judging job candidates, the
gender match between an applicant's name and the occupation could have a
subconscious impact, he says. In Bruning's latest study, 20 young adults
were asked to predict the success of 16 people entering new careers, based
on information provided about those job applicants.
Study participants forecasted that women with more feminine names-
Emma, Marta, Irma and Winifred - would be more likely to have successful careers
if they pursued traditional female occupations -- such as nurse, hair
stylist and interior decorator. Men with more masculine names -- Howard,
Boris, Hank and Bruno -- were expected to be successful with traditional
male careers -- such as plumber, truck driver and electrician, according to
the research, which was published in a recent issue of the Journal of
Social Psychology.
Those whose names least matched the occupation stereotypes might have a
harder time landing particular jobs, the study suggests. A woman named
Garret pursuing a job in day care or a man named Hank contemplating a
career as a hair stylist, for example, might be searching for that dream
position longer than an Emma planning to be a flight attendant or a Bruno
seeking construction work.
In an earlier project, Bruning, who has spent 20 years studying the
psychology of names, found that these types of name stereotypes begin as
early as kindergarten age. And this new study suggests those assumptions
follow kids into adulthood.
"I wouldn't overestimate the impact of names, but at the same time,
names are an important part of first impressions," Bruning says about the
implications of name stereotyping.
The names chosen for the recent study, though perhaps unusual or
unpopular in this era, were chosen to minimize other influences on the predictions of
success. They were drawn from a larger Bruning study that tested the
masculinity/femininity, activity/passivity and popularity/unpopularity of
1,320 names. He suspects that if the occupation study had used more popular
or trendier names, the connection between name gender, job stereotype and
career success would have been even more pronounced.
The study was co-authored by Natalie Polinko, Jennifer Zerbst and
Justin Buckingham, former Ohio University doctoral students in psychology. Bruning
holds an appointment in the College of Arts and Sciences.
