Abstract
The effect of grievant’s and arbitrator’s gender on arbitration decisions is investigated using 169 arbitration cases fromLabor Arbitration Awards. Three hypotheses were tested: (1) arbitrators treat female grievants less severely than male grievants; (2) female arbitrators render less severe judgments than their male counterparts; and (3) arbitrator’s gender and grievant’s gender interact so that female arbitrators will treat female grievants more favorably than male arbitrators and male arbitrators will treat male grievants more favorably than female arbitrators. The empirical findings supported none of these hypotheses and the authors conclude that the arbitration process is free of gender bias.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Begin, J. P. and E. F. Beal.The Practice of Collective Bargaining. 7th Ed. Homewood, Illinois: Richard D. Irwin, Inc., 1985.
Bemmels, B. “The Effect of Grievants’ Gender on Arbitrators’ Decisions.”Industrial and Labor Relations Review 41 (January 1988): 251–62.
Bigoness, W. J. and P. H. DuBose. “Effects of Gender on Arbitrators’ Decisions.”Academy of Management Journal 28 (1985): 485–91.
Block, R. N. and J. Stieber. “The Impact of Attorneys and Arbitrators on Arbitration Awards.”Industrial and Labor Relations Review 40 (July 1987): 534–43.
Heneman, H. G. III and M. H. Sandver. “Arbitrators’ Backgrounds and Behavior.”Journal of Labor Research 4 (Spring 1983): 115–24.
Mills, D. Q.Labor-Management Relations. 3rd Ed. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1986.
Nelson, N. E. “The Selection of Arbitrators.”Labor Law Journal 37 (October 1986): 703–11.
Ponak, A. “Discharge Arbitration and Reinstatement in the Province of Alberta.”Arbitration Journal 42 (June 1987): 39–46.
Rodgers, R. C. and I. B. Helburn “The Arbitrariness of Arbitrators’ Decisions.”Proceedings of the Thirty-Seventh Annual Meeting (Dallas, December 1984). Madison, WI: Industrial Relations Research Association, pp. 234–41.
Zirkel, P. A. “A Profile of Grievance Arbitration Cases.”Arbitration Journal 38 (March 1983): 35–8.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Scott, C., Shadoan, E. The effect of gender on arbitration decisions. Journal of Labor Research 10, 429–436 (1989). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02685333
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02685333