WHITE FIGHT: A researcher finds whites are more likely to claim bias.
About a third of 492 terminated workers in a survey by Barry Goldman, a University of Arizona assistant professor, said they contacted an agency or court about potential discrimination claims. Of the 56 white workers terminated, 52% claimed discrimination. About 31% of the 407 dismissed black participants made that claim. Mr. Goldman, who would like to see litigation reduced, theorizes that whites might have more faith in the system or more personal resources to pursue a claim. White workers also "now understand the statutes don't just protect minorities," he says.
The study has drawbacks, including its limited geographic and demographic focus. The study didn't track the kind of discrimination claimed or whether the subjects actually filed a complaint and pursued it over time. Still, with little said on the subject, "it's not the last word but a darn good first word," says John Hollenbeck, editor of Personnel Psychology magazine, who hopes for further study after publishing the work this summer.
Whites filed 46% of Equal Employment Opportunity Commission charges between 1995 and 2000.
- Carlos Tejada