Discrimination in Carpooling due to Turkish Names

Discrimination against profiles with Turkish names compared to those with German names has been found on online ride-sharing platforms. Researchers from the University of Cologne are calling for anonymous requests to be made to prevent this bias. A recent study by the University of Pennsylvania showed that women wearing headscarves in Germany are less likely to receive help in everyday situations than women with a Central European appearance. The University of Cologne has now investigated whether having a foreign name is enough to disadvantage individuals on online ride-sharing platforms, where people offer free seats in their private cars. The study also examined whether ethnicity and gender play a role. The researchers created profiles on various ride-sharing platforms, using both German and Turkish male and female names. They then contacted 925 exclusively male advertisers to determine how often the profiles received positive responses, the response time to requests, and the order in which the four fictitious profiles were answered. The results showed that both ethnicity and gender play a significant role in ride-sharing. The profile with the German female name had the highest success rate, with 71% positive responses, while the Turkish male profile received only 44% positive responses. Men with German names and women with Turkish names had the same success rate of 60%. The researchers also analyzed whether there were regional differences in discrimination based on gender and ethnicity. The results showed no significant differences between the east and west of Germany. To prevent discrimination on ride-sharing platforms in the future, the researchers suggest that gender and ethnic origin should be hidden in requests. Otherwise, the existing discrimination will continue.