Double Disadvantage: How Gender and Residential Location Shape Hiring Outcomes in Pakistan's IT Sector

TL;DR

This study reveals that in Pakistan's IT sector, gender and residential socioeconomic status significantly influence hiring outcomes, with men and high-income area candidates receiving more callbacks, even without explicit biases in job ads.

Contribution

It provides empirical evidence of implicit discrimination based on gender and neighborhood in Pakistan's IT hiring practices, highlighting the persistence of biases without explicit preferences.

Findings

Men receive more callbacks than women for IT jobs.

Candidates from high-income neighborhoods get 45% more callbacks.

Implicit biases linked to gender and residential background influence hiring.

Abstract

This paper examines how gender and residential socioeconomic status shape hiring outcomes in the information technology sector using a field experiment from the city of Karachi, Pakistan. Employers in Pakistan can openly state preferences regarding gender, residential location, and other characteristics, but the majority in the information technology sector choose not to do so. This creates an opportunity to examine whether discrimination persists when such biases are not explicitly stated. An analysis of explicitly gender-targeted job ads shows that men are preferred over women across most occupations, even in traditionally pink-collar roles. Moreover, results from a resume audit experiment, submitting 2,032 applications to 508 full-time job openings, show that men receive more callbacks for job interviews than women, even in the absence of explicit gender preferences in job ads. The study also indicates a significant premium favoring candidates from high-income areas, who receive 45 percent more callbacks than applicants from low-income neighborhoods. This advantage remains robust even after controlling for commuting distance. Qualitative interviews with human resource officials suggest that employers associate productivity with both gender and neighborhood socioeconomic status. Residential address acts as a proxy for class background and signals education, skills, and perceived "fit" in professional settings. These perceptions may reinforce stereotypes, disadvantaging women and candidates from low-income backgrounds.