How subtly it works. Trends and differences of perceived labour market discrimination among intersectional identities in the Netherlands.

Abstract

Previous research on labour market discrimination in the Netherlands has largely focused on the role of ethnicity. The goal of this study was to investigate trends in labour market discrimination, taking into account a more nuanced distinction between multiple ethnic groups in the Netherlands as well as the role of intersectional gender and ethnic identities. Two contrasting expectations were drawn up, the first one states that labour market discrimination has declined over time in the Dutch context, while on the other hand, it was expected that labour market discrimination has increased. Further, this study included an intersectional approach by taking into account the effects of gender and ethnicity. According to the Double Jeopardy Hypothesis, it was expected that females with a non-western migration background faced more discrimination on the Dutch labour market than their male counterparts. On the other hand, it was expected that being male was positively related to perceived discrimination, based upon the Subordinate Male Target Hypothesis. This study used data of the NELLS and by running a moderation model in SPSS through ANOVA via GLM the relations are tested. The results show that discrimination in the Dutch labour market has increased slightly between 2009 and 2013. Besides, two trends over time were found; the role of ethnicity and the role of gender have become more important over time concerning perceived discrimination. The degree of perceived discrimination varies between different ethnicities and genders, thereby highlighting once again the importance of an intersectional approach. The results show that particularly males experience discriminatory practices when applying for a job and on the labour market. This effect differs for males of different ethnic backgrounds. Particularly Moroccan males are oftentimes victims of labour market discrimination in the Netherlands. Moreover, the second generation Moroccan males are most often subject to perceived labour market discrimination. These findings suggest the existence of intergenerational differences, a subject that future research could look into more closely.