Does language make a difference? Evidence from a field experiment on discrimination in access to childcare in Switzerland | Stephanie Steinmetz (University of Lausanne)
FBK-IRVAPP is pleased to invite you to the following seminar: Does language make a difference? Evidence from a field experiment on discrimination in access to childcare in Switzerland.
With the participation of Stephanie Steinmetz (University of Lausanne)
Abstract
This paper examines how ethnic and linguistic boundaries shape access to early childcare in Switzerland. The country’s linguistic diversity provides a unique opportunity to compare discrimination across French- and German-speaking regions. Using a large-scale correspondence study conducted in all French- and German-speaking cantons in autumn 2024 and 2025, we analyze whether and how responses to childcare inquiries vary by perceived parental background. Drawing on contact hypothesis and social identity theory, we expect higher levels of discrimination in German-speaking regions, where anti-immigration sentiment tends to be stronger, as well as greater acceptance of regionally familiar minority groups (e.g., Moroccans in French-speaking cantons and Turks in German-speaking ones). We also test for ingroup favoritism within the Swiss majority, hypothesizing that applicants with names aligned with the dominant regional language have an advantage. To identify ethnic discrimination, parent names in inquiry emails were fully randomized. The sample includes seven minority groups (Congolese, Moroccan, Nigerian, Pakistani, Senegalese, Turkish, and Ukrainian) and two Swiss majority groups (Swiss French and Swiss German), based on externally validated name lists (Ghekiere et al. 2025). Results show that unequal treatment emerges at the very first stage of contact and information provision, before formal admission procedures begin. This early gatekeeping may contribute to cumulative disadvantage over the life course. Discrimination patterns are shaped more by regional institutional contexts and discretionary practices than by group familiarity alone. Rather than eliminating discrimination, institutional structures appear to influence where and how discriminatory mechanisms operate.
The seminar is held in English.
Relatori
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Stephanie Steinmetz - Relatore ospiteUniversity of LausanneStephanie Steinmetz is an Associate Professor of Sociology at the University of Lausanne (UNIL) and the University of Amsterdam (UvA). At UNIL, she is a member of the Life Course and Inequality Centre (LIVES) and collaborates closely with the Swiss Centre of Expertise in the Social Sciences (FORS). Her research examines educational and labor market vulnerabilities from cross-national and intersectional perspectives. She is currently the Principal Investigator of the European Research Council (ERC) project PROFEM and a Co-PI of the HORIZON Europe project EQUALSTRENGTH. Both projects investigate the integration of (female) immigrants and their experiences of discrimination in host societies, employing experimental methods. In addition, she leads the Swiss Generation and Gender Programme (GGP), which collects comparative data on family dynamics, gender relations and life course trajectories. Furthermore, she serves as Secretary General of the International Social Survey Programme (ISSP), which conducts comparative survey research in 44 countries worldwide. Her work has been published in leading international journals, including European Sociological Review, Work, Employment and Society, Social Forces, Comparative Social Research, International Journal of Comparative Sociology, and Social Politics.
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