Social Problem discrimination

Social Problem

The social problem being investigated by the researchers is discrimination, specifically

religious discrimination, based on one’s religious affiliation. According to the Equal Employment

Opportunity Commission (EEOC) provisions, religious discrimination is treating a person

(employee or applicant) unfavorably due to their religious beliefs. As a result, there are various

laws, including Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, that exist to prevent any form of

discrimination, more so in the workplace or the employment sector (Ghumman et al., 2013).

Federal laws exist to prohibit religious-based discrimination in employment. Wright et al. (2013)

were keen to investigate whether or not indicating religious affiliations will get a response from

prospective employers.

Research Method

One of the notable research methods used is the field experiment through resume

submission. A field experiment is a type of research conducted in a natural setting or real world.

Wright et al. (2013) used experimental field research because it tended to use observations and

analyzation, and it also describes things as they exist in the real world. Factors or the social issue

under study is not manipulated with the use of field experiment. Consequently, in this field

experiment, the authors sent 6400 resumes to 1600 job openings that had previously been

advertised in a job-listing website in the country. In the field experiment, there was the control

group that no religious affiliation and the experimental group were randomly assigned to

different religious groups such as Pagan, Jewish, Muslim, evangelical Christian, Catholic, and

atheist. In the article, the field experiment was solely used to gather evidence on religious

discrimination as it occurs in the employment sector.