Skip to content 
Search

Latest Stories

Ethnic accents 'face negative bias'

Bias exists against people with working class or regional accent, a new government-funded study has found.

Researchers at Queen Mary University in London found that those aged over 40 were likely to judge job candidates as less hireable if they spoke with regional working class accents.


By replicating a study first done 50 years ago, experts found that those over 40 judged intelligence of others by the accents they used.

Devyani Sharma, professor of Sociolinguistics, asked a group of volunteers to listen to 38 different British accents to see which attracted a negative bias.

According to Prof Sharma, British working class and ethnic accents still faced negative bias half a century on.

The Brummie accent, from Birmingham and the West Midlands, came out bottom.

“People were more careful about letting accent biases affect whether they thought the person was a good fit for the job,” said Professor Sharma, whose research is funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC).

“Younger people didn’t judge accents differently at all. By contrast, those above the age of 40 judged speakers of working class accents to be less competent and less hireable, even though all candidates gave exactly the same responses.

“It’s tempting to interpret this age pattern as a decline in bias over time, but the same age pattern was found 15 years ago. This suggests that our attitudes become more conventional as we age. Bias was also greater among people who grew up in southern England and were from a higher social class.”

Many who were interviewed for the study said that the interview process was only one of the hurdles.

“A working class or ethnic minority applicant may clear all of these hurdles and get that job, only to find that interactions in the workplace are a source of difficulty, impeding their ability to rise in seniority in the firm,” said Professor Sharma.

“Lawyers themselves reported such issues to us. In informal feedback, one told us that he had been told at interview that he would need elocution lessons before he could be introduced to a client.”

More For You

Mamdani’s win over Cuomo reshapes NYC political landscape

Zohran Mamdani addresses supporters in Queens, New York City

Mamdani’s win over Cuomo reshapes NYC political landscape

INDIAN AMERICAN lawmaker Zohran Kwame Mamdani last week clinched the Democratic nomination for mayor of New York City, defeating former governor Andrew Cuomo in what is being described as one of the most unexpected results in recent city political history.

Mamdani, 33, a state assemblyman representing Queens and a self-declared democratic socialist, stands on the brink of becoming New York’s first Muslim and Indian American mayor.

Keep ReadingShow less
uk home office

The PAC said the Home Office relies on airline passenger records to track departures but has not reviewed this data since 2020. (Photo: iStock)

iStock

MPs say Home Office unaware if foreign workers leave UK after visas expire

THE HOME OFFICE does not know whether foreign workers are leaving the UK or staying on illegally after their visas expire, according to a cross-party group of MPs.

The Public Accounts Committee (PAC), which oversees government spending, said the department has not analysed exit check data since the skilled worker visa was introduced in 2020, the BBC reported.

Keep ReadingShow less
Asian author creates bilingual books to 'save languages'
Divya Mistry-Patel

Asian author creates bilingual books to 'save languages'

A Birmingham educator and author is working to save heritage languages from extinction by creating bilingual children's books that help families pass their mother tongue to the next generation.

Divya Mistry-Patel, known as Dee, has written a Gujarati-English picture book titled Mari Rang Be Range Biladi (My colourful cat) after watching children in her community lose the ability to speak their parents' language.

Keep ReadingShow less
IND vs ENG

Shree Charani of India (2R) celebrates the wicket of Amy Jones during the 2nd women's T20 match between England and India in Bristol on July 1, 2025. (Photo: Getty Images)

Getty Images

India look to clinch maiden women's T20I series win against England

INDIA will look to secure their first women’s T20I series win over England when they play the third match of the five-game series on Friday. India currently lead the series 2-0.

England will be without their captain Nat Sciver-Brunt, who has been ruled out of the match due to a left groin injury.

Keep ReadingShow less
Helldivers 2

The announcement was made during a livestream

YouTube/ IGN

Helldivers 2 coming to Xbox this August, Sony confirms

Key points

  • Helldivers 2 launches on Xbox Series X|S on 26 August 2025.
  • Sony is publishing the title on Xbox, an unusual move for the company.
  • Crossplay confirmed between Xbox, PlayStation, and PC.
  • The announcement coincides with Gears of War: Reloaded’s PS5 debut.

Helldivers 2 to launch on Xbox Series X|S this August

Sony has confirmed that Helldivers 2 will launch on Xbox Series X and S on 26 August 2025, marking a rare move by the company to release one of its games on a rival console. The announcement was made during a livestream and comes on the same day Microsoft’s Gears of War: Reloaded is set to arrive on PlayStation 5.

Developed by Arrowhead Game Studios and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment, Helldivers 2 is a co-op third-person shooter that has already achieved major success on PlayStation 5 and PC, where it launched in February 2024. The title has since sold over 12 million copies in just 12 weeks, becoming the fastest-selling PlayStation Studios game of all time.

Keep ReadingShow less