Emerging Forms of Discrimination: A Field Experiment Assessing Childcare Responses to Lgtbi Families in Spain

Hector Boado, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (csic)
Álvaro Suárez-Vergne, Spanish Council for Scientific Research (CSIC, IEGD / CCHS)

This study presents the result of a large scale field experiment allowing to analyze the responses of Spanish childcare facilities to applications from homoparental (same-sex) families and families of migrant origin. Considering Spain's progressive stance on LGBTI rights, the research aims to uncover subtle forms of discrimination within the educational sector. Our field experiment involved 4,000 applications, analyzing acceptance, rejection, and additional information requests. Initial findings indicate minimal overt discrimination, with homoparental families experiencing about 10% fewer responses and higher rates of requests for additional information compared to heterosexual families. To dig deeper, we are coding an additional 400 responses and will use artificial intelligence to assess the warmth versus distance in the interactions. This innovative approach will reveal nuanced dimensions of discrimination, offering insights into how LGBTI and migrant-origin families are treated in Spain's educational institutions.

Keywords: Families, Unions and Households, Randomized controlled experiments , Inequality, Disadvantage and Discrimination, Children, Adolescents, and Youth

See extended abstract.