Background
Creators: name: Ralph, Cindy Suurd
Publisher: name: OSF Registries
Year: 2016

description: In 2011, over 424,000 Muslims lived in Toronto. Most were from the South Asian region which includes India and Pakistan among other countries (Hamdani, 2015; retrieved from: https://cdndawnfoundation.ca/system/files/private). 
Muslims in Canada face disproportionate unemployment rates; 13.9% versus the national average of 7.8% (Hamdani, 2015). This unemployment could be due in part to preferential consideration given to applications made by individuals based on their names. Betrand and Mullainathan (2004) found that applications with Caucasian sounding names for jobs in several US cities were 1.5% more likely to get a call-back based on employment applications than identical applications using African-American names. Riach and Rich (2002) reviewed numerous studies which indicate that race, age and disability variables presented in resumes and applications have been shown to impact preferential treatment in hiring practices. They also noted that religion was one variable that had not been considered in these studies, which leads to the present research.
The use of a traditional Caucasian name does not itself imply religious affiliation. However, for Muslims, this is not the case (Thorat &amp; Attewell, 2007). The proposed study will use resumes (matched for age and experience) labelled with different names and genders (male/female). Names are not likely to imply religion for Caucasians, but the use of a traditional Muslim name is expected to suggest religious affiliation (Thorat &amp; Attewell, 2007). For Caucasian applicants, the use of a Catholic Secondary School will provide an indicator of religious affiliation. Applications will be submitted electronically to entry level positions in the restaurant industry in the Greater Toronto Area. Toronto is among the most multi-cultural cities in Canada, therefore it is the region most likely to provide a conservative test of the hypothesis that he religion implied by one’s name could impact consideration for hiring in Canada.
In this design, the potential employers will be the research participants. Employers that are accepting applications will be recruited from job posting websites such as Monster.ca. Direct application portals on the websites for well know fast food chain restaurants will also be used. Each employer in the study will receive two job applications, both applications will be matched on gender and relevant experience. The applications will be submitted on adjacent days and the order in which applications are submitted will alternate. The Caucasian applications will use either a male or female name selected from the most popular baby names in Ontario in 1995 (Jessica and Matthew Smith; http://www.todaysparent.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/GIRLS_Baby_Names.gif ). The Muslim applications will use either a male or female name selected from the most commonly used Muslim names (Aaleyah and Mohammed Hussain; http://www.top-100-baby-names-search.com/muslim-boy-names.html). When possible, resumes will be uploaded to the application jobs sites. If only a standard application form can be used, the information included in the resumes (see Annex A) will be directly copied into the application form. Addresses for the resumes were selected by examining the demographics by Ward in the Greater Toronto Area and selecting an area that had English and Arabic as the top two household languages (retrieved from: http://www1.toronto.ca/City%20Of%20Toronto/City%20Planning/Wards/Files/pdf/W/Ward%2034%20Profile%202011.pdf.) Secondary Schools and previous places of employment were chosen because they were located close to the residential addresses.
Two basic resumes were created (see Annex A). The Caucasian Female and Muslim Male will use the same resume with only the name, school and email address varied. Similarly, the Muslim Female and Caucasian Male will use the same resume except for the variations listed above. All emails and telephone numbers are functioning and can be contacted by potential employers.