Poor outcomes for Muslims in the UK labour market cannot be explained by sociocultural attitudes, such as a commitment to traditionalism, a study has found.
The study, published in the peer-reviewed journal Ethnic and Ethnic Studies, confirmed the existence of “Muslim punishment” in the job market, but rejected previous claims that it was due to cultural and religious practices.
After adjusting for factors such as age, residence, education and the presence of children, both Muslim men and Muslim women were found to be significantly more likely to be unemployed than their respective white British Christian counterparts. The authors then adjusted for factors such as religious beliefs, gender attitudes, and civic engagement, but found that they had little effect on “Muslim punishment.”
University of Bristol doctoral researcher Samir Sweida-Metwally, supported by the Economic and Social Research Council, said: “The findings provide evidence of poor employment outcomes for Muslims in the UK It is due to their so-called “sociocultural attitudes”.
“In challenging this narrative that makes Muslims and their beliefs problematic, the study supports the overwhelming evidence from field experiments that anti-Muslim discrimination against Muslims and those considered Muslims is important for them to get jobs obstacle.”
His paper used 10 years of data from the UK Longitudinal Study of Households, an annual survey of around 100,000 people from 40,000 households, gathering information primarily through face-to-face interviews of people’s socioeconomic status.
Participants were asked about the intensity of their religious beliefs, whether they were members of a social organization, and whether they agreed with the statements “husbands should earn money and wives should stay at home” and “if mothers work full-time it affects family life-time” This allowed Sweida-Metwally to determine whether certain attitudes were associated with a higher risk of unemployment.
He concluded: “‘Sociocultural variables’, such as gender attitudes, language ability, and the degree of inter- and intra-ethnic social ties, are not responsible for unexplained ethno-religious differences in labour market participation and unemployment among Muslim men A compelling source. Women.”
Another important finding was that country of origin or “being considered Muslim” may matter. While the risk of unemployment and inactivity did not differ significantly between white British Muslims and white British Christians, non-religious Arab men were the group most likely to be unemployed/inactive. “This may suggest that perceived Muslims are more important than actual attachment to the faith for predicting religious disadvantage in men,” Sweida-Metwally wrote.
He added: “This means understanding that Islamophobia is multidimensional and related to skin colour, religion, culture and country of origin, that differences in any one dimension are ‘enough’ for those who tend to be prejudiced, which is important for anyone seeking A strategy of strategy is essential. To mitigate these inequalities.”
The study found that, when it comes to men, black Caribbean people are at the highest risk of unemployment. Among women, Muslims generally show the greatest risk of unemployment, while Pakistani women are at the highest risk.
Sweida-Metwally said: “Overall, the evidence shows support for the argument that both religion (Muslim) and colour (black) punishments exist in the UK labour market. Confirming previous research, religion is better for female unemployment and inactivity predictors, and for men, both skin color and religion matter.”
