Think about your name for a second…is it common? is it easy to pronounce? These are questions that can ultimately predict your future. Parents spend months thinking of baby names for their unborn child. Do they do this to help them get a job 20 years later?
Studies show that your name is part of your success. Over the last 70 years, researchers have tried to gauge the effect on an individual of having an unusual name. It is thought that our identity is partly shaped by the way we are treated by other people – a concept psychologists call the “looking-glass self” – and our name has the potential to colour our interactions with society. Depending on the community you live in and the maturity level of your parents your name can sometimes fit with the status quo. Living in the “ghetto” many people think you will have a ratchet name like bosheda, bonquisha, yessica and other ridiculous names. This also plays into the role of the parents often times when a child is named bosheda it is because the parents were probably young and immature.
That isn’t the case for everyone, I was born in low income part of Brooklyn known has Bedstuy do or die. But my parents realized that 30 years down the line when I need a job and can’t get one because my name is shaquida it would be their fault. So they decided to play it safe a name me Kristen Lauren McKenzie, very common but I won’t have to worry about my future.
Aside from being from a different country and having different religions and views many people reading resumes will skip over your resume if it fits the category of ratchet. It’s sad that many of the names that are defined as ratchet are black, so it puts them a at a disadvantage at times when competing for a job. Sweeny found that searching for people with distinctively black names were 25% more likely to produce an ad suggesting the person had an arrest record. This statistic alone shows that the world is judgemental on a person’s skin color and name alone. Although Roland Fryer suggest that a name has nothing to do with your economic status most people will assume that “Mary” is from an affluent neighborhood while “Tyrone” is from the hood.
As black unemployment is twice as much as whites, researchers can make a correlation to the names of the black employers and the unemployment rate.
I know we are always told not to judge a book by it’s cover but the fact of the matter is that everything about us is judged, especially by employers. Recently in my Sociology class we discussed audit studies in which statistical white names and black names were used on the same resume and it turned out “whiter” names got more responses than names like “Jamal” and “Lakisha”. Audit studies like these might be able to help determine your future in the job market if your name is unfamiliar or especially ethnic.
I find your blog pretty interesting. In China, parents concern much about the name of their child for they believe name does determine one’s future. After read your blog, I know the scientific reason behind this phenomenon. Perhaps some more scientific researches on this topic can make your blog more convincing and support your statement as well. But overall I like your blog and it reminds me of looking into my name to read my future!
You point out a very relevant and real issue today in the social world. Often times, the first time employers really see an applicant is through a glace of a resume. Seeing a name such as Matthew or Joseph probably has a different affect than a unique name such as Tyrone or my name, Sang-Hyun Cho. However, is there really a science behind a name? I do agree with and contend there is. When you stated that individuals with unique and different names may have trouble finding names I agree. While correlation does not lead to causation, it certainly does support the hypothesis. It’s hard to appear professional in the business world when you have the handicap of stereotypes before you even meet your employer. I disagree though that names can necessarily predict your future. Having a “ratchet” name doesn’t influence level of education, work ethic, or intelligence. Those are things that you build on your own. As to your argument that being born with a name influences self esteem I argue that being self conscious is a problem that all teens face. Not just those with unique names.
The title of your blog attracted my attention. I was born in Taiwan and grew up in China, and nowadays I am an international student of course. In my hometown, people are really careful of picking name for baby or child. They belive Fengshui, which can be regarded as supernatural power. A good name could give a child good luck or something like that. There are also some Fengshui masters. If you pay them, they may pick a good name for your children : )
http://www.livescience.com/13477-names-life-decisions-career-choices.html