A 2016 study by Harvard Business School, especially when looking at patterns of behavior on Airbnb, found that guests with “obviously African-American names are about 16% less likely to be accepted than identical guests with obvious white names.” “.
Lionel Bonaventure / AFP via Getty Images
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Lionel Bonaventure / AFP via Getty Images
A 2016 study by Harvard Business School, especially when looking at patterns of behavior on Airbnb, found that guests with “obviously African-American names are about 16% less likely to be accepted than identical guests with obvious white names.” “.
Lionel Bonaventure / AFP via Getty Images
In an ideal world, sites like Airbnb would be able to function without bias or prejudice. They will provide the same services to all registered users who wish to book a rental, regardless of race. But that doesn’t seem to be the case, and studies have shown that some hosts discriminate on the basis of profile pictures and sounding African-American names.
Now, the real estate rental company is trying an experiment to help fix the problem, changing the way Oregon guest record names are displayed during the booking process. For the next two years, organizers will only see the potential guest’s initials, not their first, until the booking is completed.
The move comes nearly two and a half years after Airbnb settled a lawsuit against three African-American women alleging that the site allowed hosts to discriminate against Black users by displaying their names and photos. their property, in violation of Oregon’s public accommodation laws.
“This update is in line with a voluntary settlement agreement we reached in 2019 with individuals in Oregon who raised concerns about the way guests’ names were displayed when they attempted to set their names. books,” the company said in a statement.
“As part of our ongoing work, we will take any lessons from this process and use them to inform future efforts to combat bias.” it continued, noting that the new system will be fully rolled out in the state by January 31.
The company changed its image policy in 2018, withholding images until after a host accepts the reservation. At the same time, it allows the host to choose whether or not to request guest photos.
Social scientists have accumulated a numerous studies show patterns of discrimination against people with so-called Blacks. ONE 2016 Harvard Business School Field Study, especially when looking at patterns of behavior on Airbnb, found that guests with “obviously African-American names are about 16% less likely to be accepted than identical guests with obvious white names.” “.
Research prompted Airbnb co-founder Brian Chesky to issue apology to users, they say: “Stigma and discrimination have no place on Airbnb and we have zero tolerance for them.” Airbnb also started requiring users to accept its commitment to non-discrimination and launched its Instant Books feature, which allows service providers to instantly book homes without a guest’s prior approval. Specifically.
Going forward, the company is committed to “continuing to work with our hosts and guests, as well as with civil rights leaders, to make our community more inclusive.”
