‘We Like You, But We Don’t Want You’—The Impact of Pregnancy in the Workplace

Abstract

This study considered whether pregnant women are considered as mothers (to be) in the workplace. Working from the stereotype content model (SCM) we predicted that pregnant women would be stereotyped as warm and incompetent, and experience workplace discrimination; with these effects accentuated in masculine-type occupations. Eighty-two Australian University undergraduates evaluated a candidate who was pregnant or not for a masculine-or feminine-type short-term position. Results provided mixed support for the SCM. Across both occupations, the pregnant candidate was rated as warmer, more competent, but was discriminated against in comparison to the non-pregnant candidate. We suggest that participants may employ a shifting standard of comparison, thus highlighting a potential limitation of the usefulness of traditional SCM measures with individual targets.

Navigating Public Prejudices: The Impact of Media and Attitudes on High-Profile Female Political Leaders

“…The SCM (Fiske et al 2002) has provided a useful framework for classifying the evaluations of stereotyped individuals. However, the utility of the model in predicting individuals' evaluations of a specific target has yet to be fully explored (although, see Cuddy et al 2004Cuddy et al , 2005Masser, et al 2007 for initial work in this area). Further, this existing research suggests that examination of potential moderators of the SCM as a predictor of individual perceptions is warranted (e.g., Masser et al 2007).…”

“…However, the utility of the model in predicting individuals' evaluations of a specific target has yet to be fully explored (although, see Cuddy et al 2004Cuddy et al , 2005Masser, et al 2007 for initial work in this area). Further, this existing research suggests that examination of potential moderators of the SCM as a predictor of individual perceptions is warranted (e.g., Masser et al 2007). Despite evidence in the general attitude literature that suggests both priming (e.g., Krosnick and Kinder 1990;Pan and Kosicki 1997) and the strength and valence of people's existing attitudes (e.g., Eagly and Karau 2002) moderate evaluations of others, little research has simultaneously explored both the role of media cues and existing attitudes on evaluations of warmth and competence.…”

“…The primary methodology used to test the SCM asks respondents to indicate, "As viewed by most Americans…," how a variety of social groups would be rated on the dimensions of warmth, competence, status, and competition (Fiske et al , 2002. However, only a few studies (Cuddy et al 2004;Cuddy et al 2005;Masser et al 2007) have asked respondents to report on personal perceptions of the social group's warmth, competence, status, and competition. One such study using Australian college students (Masser et al 2007) applied the SCM to predict evaluations of pregnant women applying for masculine-type and feminine-type short-term positions.…”

“…However, only a few studies (Cuddy et al 2004;Cuddy et al 2005;Masser et al 2007) have asked respondents to report on personal perceptions of the social group's warmth, competence, status, and competition. One such study using Australian college students (Masser et al 2007) applied the SCM to predict evaluations of pregnant women applying for masculine-type and feminine-type short-term positions. Masser et al's (2007) findings suggest that shifting standards were used to evaluate pregnant women, suggesting mixed support for the ability of the SCM to predict individual perceptions.…”

“…Masser et al's (2007) findings suggest that shifting standards were used to evaluate pregnant women, suggesting mixed support for the ability of the SCM to predict individual perceptions. Our study differs from and extends work by Masser et al (2007) and others using the SCM to predict individual perceptions, as we have included questions to assess participants' own attitudes toward the group in question (here, women) and focus on the effect of contextual information about the target. It is critical for researchers to determine whether stereotype content is supported at both the group and individual levels (Devine and Elliot 1995).…”