Extant research suggests subtle, interpersonal forms of discrimination, though often normalized and overlooked, may be just as detrimental to targets as compared to more traditional, overt forms of discrimination. To further examine this question, we meta-analyzed the current literature to estimate the relationship between discrimination and a host of psychological, physical health, and work-related correlates as a function of its form (subtle or overt). Analysis of 90 effect sizes suggested that subtle and overt forms of discrimination hold relationships of comparable magnitude with a host of adverse correlates. By demonstrating that these two forms of discrimination are not differentially related to relevant outcomes, our findings call into serious question the pervasive belief that subtle discrimination is less consequential for targets as compared to overt discrimination (Landy, 2008; McWhorter, 2008). Taken together, our results suggest that subtle discrimination is at least as important to consider and address as its overt counterpart. Implications for organizational scholars and practitioners are discussed.
Although nearly 50 years have passed since the Civil Rights Act, employment discrimination persists. Thus, this focal article raises and addresses critical issues regarding a yet unanswered question: how can organizational researchers and practitioners contribute to the ultimate goal of eradicating employment discrimination? This article will push previous work a step forward by considering discrimination reduction tactics spanning the attraction, selection, inclusion, and retention phases of the employment cycle. Additionally, we expand our discussion of strategies to reduce discrimination beyond classically studied racial, ethnic, and gender differences. Our synthesis of this literature will inform organizational psychologists on how to address discrimination, but will also highlight the lack of evidence regarding important aspects of these strategies.The year 2014 marks the 50th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act. In the nearly 50 years since this legislation was codified, organizational scholars, and practitioners have been among those working to ensure that the tenets of Title VII-which prohibit employment discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, or national origin-are implemented effectively. Despite substantial efforts over 5 decades, employment discrimination persists. Indeed, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) resolved 42,545 charges in 2012 alone, excluding cases where no reasonable cause was found or
Many employees possess inconspicuous identities that are stigmatized. At work, a context wherein impression management concerns are salient, these individuals face decisions about when, how, and to whom to disclose their concealable stigmas with important consequences for the way individuals experience work. In the following review, we integrate findings from psychological, sociological, and management literatures pertaining to the management of concealable stigmas. We further push the boundaries of this evidence to develop a multilevel model of workplace identity management behavior. That is, we conceptualize identity management as a within- and between-person phenomenon, accounting for the notion that identity management behaviors will vary as a function of the situation but that people will also exhibit identity management behavioral averages, tendencies, and accumulation that facilitate meaningful comparison among employees. Throughout the review, we highlight common themes, clarify inconsistent findings, and call attention to several fruitful areas we see ripe for future research.
SummaryRacism, sexism, and ageism persist in modern day organizations and may translate into workplace discrimination, which can undermine organizational effectiveness. We provide the first meta‐analysis comparing the relationships between these three types of prejudice (racism, sexism, and ageism) and three types of workplace discrimination (selection, performance evaluation, and opposition to diversity‐supportive policies). Across outcomes, racism was associated with workplace discrimination, whereas sexism was not. Ageism was associated with discriminatory selection and opposition to organizational policies supporting older workers; however, ageism was not related to discriminatory performance evaluation. Consistent with prior research and theory, Implicit Association Test measures were related to subtle discrimination (opposition to diversity‐supportive policies) but not deliberate discrimination (selection and performance evaluation). Finally, prejudice was more strongly associated with discrimination against real as compared with hypothetical targets. Implications for organizational researchers and practitioners are discussed. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
This study examined workplace interactions in which lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) workers faced decisions related to revealing or concealing their LGB identities at work (i.e., identity management situations). Participants were 61 LGB adults who completed a baseline survey about their organization and, over 3 weeks, responded to event-based surveys immediately after identity management situations. Results suggested that LGB workers manage their stigmatized identity strategically according to situational characteristics. Indeed, much of the variance in use of revealing and concealing strategies was due to differences within people from situation to situation. Use of identity management strategies was predicted by interaction partner cues of acceptance or rejection as well as perception of LGB-related organizational climate and policies. Results at the within-person and between-person levels diverged in noteworthy ways.
Despite the rapid entrance of women into the workforce over the past several decades, many workplace experiences unique to women remain poorly understood. One critical, yet understudied, area is the intersection of work and pregnancy. Because pregnancy remains concealable for a substantial amount of time, expectant employees must navigate decisions regarding to whom, when, and how to disclose their pregnant identities at work. In light of evidence that has suggested pregnancy is often stigmatized within the workplace, I employed a retrospective longitudinal design to explore the extent to which women's expectations about discrimination-anticipated discrimination-shape their pregnancy disclosure behaviors, and the extent to which these different behavioral strategies are associated with higher or lower experienced discrimination. I also examined the link between pregnancy disclosure strategies and psychological distress. Taken together, findings suggest that pregnant employees' expectations about pregnancy discrimination play a role in shaping disclosure behaviors at work. Furthermore, certain behavioral strategies for pregnancy disclosure were linked with average reports of experienced discrimination and momentary reports of psychological distress. I also discuss theoretical and practical implications. (PsycINFO Database Record
Extant literature on diversity training programs continues to yield little evidence of their overall effectiveness. Whereas the most common approach to diversity training entails justifying the value of diversity on the basis of its contribution to the organization's bottom line, we argue that approaching diversity training from an ethical perspective may bolster the effectiveness of traditional approaches. Specifically, to the degree that traditional bottom‐line justifications are enhanced with social justice arguments, training effectiveness will increase. In the following article, we discuss traditional approaches to diversity training, provide a general overview of ethics, discuss how theory and research from behavioral ethics literature might help to address some of the challenges faced in diversity training, and draw from ethics literature to make specific, novel suggestions about the implementation and presentation of diversity training.
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