Co-authored by Cecilia Rouse and Claudia Goldin, this study compares hiring data from orchestras that used "blind" auditions and screening to better understand sex-bias in hiring decision. The researchers found that blind auditions significantly increased the likelihood of women proceeding to the final rounds – except, for reasons inexplicable to the authors, in the semifinal round. The effect size is staggering. The authors find that the screen increases—by 50 percent—the probability that a woman will be advanced from certain preliminary rounds and increases by several fold the likelihood that a woman will be selected in the final round.
Blog » Orchestrating Impartiality: The Impact of “Blind” Auditions on Female Musicians (2000)
Orchestrating Impartiality: The Impact of “Blind” Auditions on Female Musicians (2000)
Co-authored by Cecilia Rouse and Claudia Goldin, this study compares hiring data from orchestras that used "blind" auditions and screening to better understand sex-bias in hiring decision. The researchers found that blind auditions significantly increased the likelihood of women proceeding to the final rounds – except, for reasons inexplicable to the authors, in the semifinal round. The effect size is staggering. The authors find that the screen increases—by 50 percent—the probability that a woman will be advanced from certain preliminary rounds and increases by several fold the likelihood that a woman will be selected in the final round.