Religion, a factor of discrimination in hiring in France?

Summary This article is based on a CV testing of unprecedented scale conducted in metropolitan France before the 2015 attacks. The experimental protocol compares the call rates to a job interview of fictitious candidates of Lebanese origin whose applications are identical in all respects except for their supposed religion. The results reveal a strong discrimination on the basis of religion: Catholics are called by the recruiter after five applications, while six are necessary for Jews and ten for Muslims. Muslim men are the most discriminated against: the Catholic applicant has to submit five CVs and cover letters to get a job interview, compared to twenty for his Muslim counterpart, i.e. four times more. This discrimination seems to be explained in part by the association of Muslim men with a risk of transgressive religious behavior and insubordination in the workplace.