Speaking with a Spanish accent while female is associated with lower perceived competence

What is it about?

Participants listening to recordings spoken by women and men with different accents rated the speakers differently depending on accent and gender. Speakers with Spanish accents were rated lower in communication competence than were speakers with North American English accents. Female speakers with Spanish accents were rated as lower in knowledge than were female speakers with North American English accents.

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Why is it important?

Biased perceptions based on accents can potentially impact job applicants, teacher evaluations, and public policies on immigration. In addition, the possible interactions of accent-related biases with gender have received little attention , even though other research shows that gender stereotypes and sexism are still present and routinely expressed.