NaDiRa short study: Looking for a job while wearing a headscarf

Showing your religion: Hijab and equal opportunities on the German labour market

National Monitoring of Discrimination and Racism (NaDiRa)

Project team:

• Zerrin Salikutluk
• Magdalena Krieger
• Simon Kühne
• Zaza Zindel

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Project description:

In our study, we asked Muslim and non-Muslim people about how they perceive discrimination on the basis of religion in the professional context. How do experienced and anticipated discrimination affect their labour market decisions? Do Muslim men experience discrimination differently than Muslim women? And what role does the hijab play? 

Results:

The survey results show: On average, hijab-wearing women are the most likely to report having experienced discrimination in the past. Muslim women who do not wear headscarves, however, seem to experience discrimination less often than Muslim men.

There are differences between groups in the way people deal with experiences of discrimination in the work context. Compared to other groups, Muslim men, regardless of gender and whether they wear a hijab, seem to be more inclined to ignore discrimination and do nothing. Apart from Christian men, all other groups of people report that they talk about the experience of discrimination with their family or friends. On the other hand, it is mainly women - Christians, hijab-wearing Muslims and non-denominational women - who seek professional help.

Furthermore, employees and job-seekers anticipate possible disadvantages due to their religion - and partly adapt their decisions and strategies accordingly. For example, 31 per cent of Muslim men and 22 per cent of Muslim women without a headscarf say they often do not apply for jobs because they think they have poor chances. For women wearing headscarves, this figure is as high as 48 per cent. 

Surprising insights:

More than half of the headscarf-wearing women have already been asked during job interviews whether they would take off their headscarf during working hours. Of the women interviewed, just under 12 per cent are prepared to take this step. When deciding on an apprenticeship, a course of study or a job, a central role for the majority of hijab-wearing women is whether they can wear their headscarf there. Over 60 per cent said that this consideration factored into their decision.

Short studies in preparation for the Racism Monitor:

In order to prepare a comprehensive Racism Monitor, DeZIM called on academics* from the DeZIM research community in 2020 to develop innovative study ideas. These should extend existing research projects, pursue new and innovative approaches or build an infrastructure to research racism. By 2021, more than 120 researchers at the six locations of the DeZIM research community had conducted a total of 34 short studies. These are divided into six thematic priorities:

• Health system
• Education system and labour market
• Institutional racism
• Dealing with experiences of racism
• Participation and the media
• Racist ideologies and attitudes

Funding: Federal Ministry for Education, Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth (Third-party funding)