Based on a social experiment conducted by University of Iowa Sociologist Professor Sarah Harkness, bank lenders tend to favor African American women almost as much as white males. According to Harkness this is because lenders think Black women display drive and professionalism making them more likely to payback the loan. The experiment was the result of past research, which stated that the market works against certain groups of people based on race and gender.

Harkness tested her theory by assembling undergraduate and alumni students from west coast universities and giving each $1000 to loan to fictional applicants. The income of each of the applicants was the same but each of the applicants had a different race and gender.

The experiment found that education was the highest rated factor in a participant’s chances of getting a loan but “it didn’t wipe out the impact of gender and race,” said Harkness in an interview with Phys, a newspaper that focuses on science news. Cultural stereotypes also shaped the way the lenders looked at the applicants.

Black men received the least money from lenders, followed by White women This is because the lenders held Black men and White women up to a much more demanding standard, according to the study. Lenders made assumptions about the applicants’ employment, whether temporary or permanent, and the intelligence of the applicant because of this standard.

However, positive stereotypes came to mind when the lenders looked at applicants who were Black women. “There was an assumption that the African-American woman was on her own raising a family and was therefore a motivated, hardworking and self-confident breadwinner,” Harkness says.

This stereotype let lenders see Black women in a more positive light than their male counterparts. Yet the most conclusive part of her

study was that in the end, all lenders took spelling and grammar harshly no matter the race or gender of the applicant.

“You want to present yourself in the best way possible,” Harkness evaluates. “Small missteps like typing too fast can send big negative

signals to evaluators.”