The misjudgment of men: Does pluralistic ignorance inhibit allyship?

Abstract

People are often reluctant to speak out publicly as allies to marginalized groups. We conducted three preregistered studies examining whether pluralistic ignorance (Miller & McFarland, 1991;Prentice, 2007;Prentice & Miller, 1993) inhibits allyship. We first hypothesized that, if men rarely enact allyship toward women (e.g., in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics [STEM] fields), people will underestimate men's beliefs that sexism is problematic. Second, these misperceptions might then predict men's (and women's) own inaction, despite their private beliefs about gender bias. Additionally, men with higher masculinity concerns might be particularly inhibited from enacting allyship by their belief that other men are unconcerned with gender bias. All three studies yielded evidence that men and women underestimate men's privately expressed concerns about gender bias in STEM contexts. In correlational analyses, Studies 1 and 2 also revealed that among men high in precarious masculinity concerns, the belief that other men do not see bias as a problem predicted lower allyship intentions, controlling for their own beliefs about gender bias. Although experimentally correcting these beliefs with data changed perceptions (Studies 2 and 3), this was insufficient to increase allyship. Rather, in an ecologically valid behavioral paradigm (Study 3), allyship behavior was elevated when participants observed others confronting versus not confronting sexism. These findings suggest that perceptions of men's average beliefs inhibit allyship intentions; however, merely correcting these misperceptions might not be enough to motivate actual confrontation. We discuss the implications of these findings for a pluralistic ignorance account of allyship inhibition and for practical interventions aimed at promoting allyship.

Diversity Interventions in the Classroom: From Resistance to Action

“…The obstacles in our model are conceptually similar to the social psychological obstacles to helping identified by Latané and Darley (1970) and Thomas and Plaut (2008), including pluralistic ignorance, diffusion of responsibility, and perceived costs of helping. Considering how these obstacles manifest in the context of faculty work and faculty pedagogical decision making may help us to understand why (and when) we observe a gap between motivated intentions and actual behavior (Bathgate et al, 2019;De Souza and Schmader, 2021).…”

“…This phenomenon, called “pluralistic ignorance,” was identified in Latané and Darley (1970) and illustrates that people who want to help often remain silent or do not take action because they (incorrectly) assume that most others disagree with the need to help (e.g., Kitts, 2003 ; O’Gorman, 1975 ). Such pluralistic ignorance, for example, influences men’s allyship behaviors toward women in STEM; men want to help, but wrongly assume no one else does, and misperceiving the group norm results in inaction ( De Souza and Schmader, 2021 ). As such, the role of perceived group norms and social connections likely influences faculty’s change efforts within the undergraduate biology classroom ( Andrews et al.…”

“…Considering how these obstacles manifest in the context of faculty work and faculty pedagogical decision making may help us to understand why (and when) we observe a gap between motivated intentions and actual behavior ( Bathgate et al. , 2019 ; De Souza and Schmader, 2021 ).…”

Why Anti-Bias Interventions (Need Not) Fail

“…But given that marginalized groups often feel a lack of fit and belonging in organizations that have been designed for and by members of the majority (Schmader & Sedikides, 2018), allyship efforts should also be proactive. Training people to take proactive action entails motivating changes in behavior, policies, or practices aimed at increasing a sense of inclusion and respect for those at risk of feeling marginalized (De Souza & Schmader, 2021). Among women in STEM, conversations with male (but not with female) colleagues that signal acceptance predict women's feelings of inclusion (Hall et al, 2019).…”

“…This prior point suggests that organizations should assess, track, and communicate changes in the culture of an organization over time. People tend to underestimate how much the advantaged majority supports inclusion initiatives (De Souza & Schmader, 2021), thus communicating these beliefs can correct this pluralistic ignorance. In fact, changing people's perceptions of the normative support for diversity and inclusion increases marginalized students' experience of peer respect, sense of belonging, and an inclusive climate, as well as then benefiting their health and academic performance (Murrar et al, 2020).…”