Isms and schisms: A meta‐analysis of the prejudice‐discrimination relationship across racism, sexism, and ageism

Abstract

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.

Implicit and Explicit Measurement of Work-Related Age Attitudes and Age Stereotypes

“…Second, such attitudes and stereotypes are associated with negative outcomes for companies and individuals. They can result in workplace discrimination ( Jones et al, 2017 ), which can be expensive for companies ( Chao and Willaby, 2007 ) because of losses in productivity and anti-discrimination laws (e.g., the ADEA – Age Discrimination in Employment Act in the United States). On an individual level, negative attitudes and negative age stereotypes toward older people may be associated with lower quality of life ( Palacios et al, 2009 ), lower functional health ( Levy et al, 2002 ), and lower performance ( Lamont et al, 2015 ).…”

“…On an individual level, negative attitudes and negative age stereotypes toward older people may be associated with lower quality of life ( Palacios et al, 2009 ), lower functional health ( Levy et al, 2002 ), and lower performance ( Lamont et al, 2015 ). Discriminatory behavior in the workplace can occur in various areas, such as hiring, firing, training, evaluation, and cooperation (e.g., Abrams et al, 2016 ; Jones et al, 2017 ).…”

Discrimination at the Intersection of Age, Race, and Gender: Evidence from a Lab-in-the-field Experiment

“…The term "discrimination" will be used throughout the paper to refer to "differential treatment by demographic characteristic(s)." It does not refer solely animus or taste-based discrimination.3 AppendixFigure 1provides cohort information for black-white differences across age using ACS/Census data for ln(Income) for all Americans and Lahey (2018) provides such differences for black and white women for several outcomes and education levels.4 Indeed, a recent meta-analysis byJones et al (2017) laments this lack of intersectional research within the field of psychology. Intersectionality with age, race, and ethnicity is, however, studied in more depth in conjunction with health outcomes (e.g Firebaugh et al 2014, Kirby and Kaneda 2010, Masters et al 2014, Pais 2014…”

Include, Individualize, and Integrate: Organizational Meta-strategies for Mature Workers

“…Stereotyping, for example, reflects people's tendencies to link particular traits and abilities with particular social groups (Fiske, Cuddy, Glick, & Xu, 2002). Consistent with these theoretical perspectives, much evidence suggests that mature workers are negatively stereotyped and consequently excluded in organizations (Cuddy, Norton, & Fiske, 2005;Jones et al, 2017). For example, inaccurate stereotypes about mature workers are that they are less competent, more resistant to change, and have a lower ability to learn compared to younger workers (e.g., Posthuma & Campion, 2009), and a meta-analysis showed that age predicts negative evaluation, advancement, and selection outcomes (e.g., Bal, Reiss, Rudolph, & Baltes, 2011).…”