Effects of Movements and Opportunities on the Adoption of Same-Sex Partner Health Benefits by Corporations

Abstract

In this study, we draw upon a social movement perspective to examine how movements and institutional opportunity (political and cultural) influenced a sample of Fortune 500 corporations' adoption of a controversial organizational practice-same-sex partner health benefits. Our results show that while corporations ' gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender (GLBT) employee resource groups increased the rate of the corporations' benefits adoption, the effect of the GLBT employee resource groups became weaker when the degree of resource concentration of local GLBT advocacy organizations was high. Political opportunity derived from state legal environments and cultural opportunity derived from the tenor of moral legitimacy in leading national press coverage had little influence on the rate of benefits adoption. Furthermore, the influence of a GLBT employee resource group on the rate of benefits adoption by its corporation became weaker when cultural opportunity, derived from increases in positive tenor of pragmatic legitimacy discourse used by movement and countermovement organizations in the press, was present. Accordingly, our study shows the complicated effects of movements within and outside corporations and cultural opportunity on the adoption of a controversial practice and reveals the importance of mobilizing structure (both internal and external movements) and cultural opportunity in the adoption. Acknowledgments: We are grateful to Kristina Dahlin, Tim Pollock, and Jung-Chin Shen for their comments on earlier drafts and to Zoe Chan, Hoi-Yee Ding, Alex Edwards, Glory Keong, Mathulan Moorthy, and Ron Ophir for their data coding assistance.

Work–Family Backlash: The “Dark Side” of Work–Life Balance (WLB) Policies

“…As WLB policies are continually modified, it will be important to examine which backlash mechanisms are present and whether the combinations create unique, cross-level mechanisms which entirely bridge the micro-macro divide. For example, collective action can occur both externally and internally at the same time (Chuang et al, 2016), suggesting not only the presence of collective, shared perceptions within the organization but also an even more complex process than we have theorized based on our review.…”

“…In regard to the pressures of always on, 24/7 workplace cultures where employees are reluctant to take time away from work or use leave policies, Project: Time Off is a social movement aiming to "shift culture so that taking time off is understood as essential to personal well-being, professional success, business performance, and economic expansion" (Project Time Off, 2017). Finally, in regard to marriage, various social movements exert pressure on organizations to adopt same-sex domestic partner benefit provisions (Briscoe & Safford, 2008;Chuang, Church, & Hu, 2016).…”

“…For example, Rothausen et al (1998: 636) noted, "one manifestation of this resentment and backlash is the formation of the organization the Childfree Network, which is an advocacy group that serves as a voice for childless workers." In this regard-as the literature on social movements demonstrates-these attitudes are collective and powerful enough to influence organizational policies and practices (Briscoe & Safford, 2008;Chuang et al, 2016). Yet, the interesting element is that they can either hinder or enhance WLB policies.…”

“…Few studies directly examine the impact of social movements on organizations' WLB policies, instead mentioning them as anecdotal evidence to provide context and help justify the importance of and relevance for investigating individuals' attitudes, behaviors, and emotions in regard to WLB policies. The closest examples address the influence of social movements on the adoption of samesex partner health benefits (see Briscoe & Safford, 2008;Chuang et al, 2016). Briscoe and Safford (2008) offer insight into the role that external activism and social movements play in pressuring organizations to adopt practices that society or individuals might view as contentious.…”

Task interdependence and the discrimination of gay men and lesbians in the workplace

“…It is important to note that disclosure at the selection stage is increasingly common. More workers recognize that bringing their authentic self to work positively impacts their well‐being and their interactions with coworkers (Ramarajan & Reid, ) and may allow them to obtain emotional and career support via networking with similar others in employee resource groups (Chuang, Church, & Hu, ; Trau, ). However, disclosure in the application process also opens them up to the risk of being discriminated against by recruiters.…”