Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grant: Analyzing Backlash against Gender Equity in Organizations

博士论文改进补助金：分析组织中对性别平等的强烈反对

• 批准号: 1831128
• 负责人: Shelley Correll
• 金额: $ 1.2万
• 依托单位: Stanford University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2018
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2018-06-01 至 2019-05-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1831128&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Doctoral; Dissertation; Improvement; Grant; Analyzing

One marker of a modern society is the belief that organizational rewards should be based on merit and not on ascriptive characteristics like sex and race. However, sometimes when organizations attempt to make their hiring, evaluation, and promotion processes meritocratic, their employees, consumers, and the public resist these changes. While there are numerous theories that suggest what might underlie such backlash, there is little evidence of what causes it. This project asks what produces backlash to gender diversity initiatives and which factors can reduce backlash. The project will address a fundamental social psychological question: which factors can override the psychological tendency for individuals to defend their group status and the status quo when either appears to be threatened? Findings of this project can help organizational leaders increase buy-in as they attempt to implement changes that will reduce workplace gender inequity and make their firms more meritocratic. The study derives hypotheses from diverse sociological and psychological literatures, including group position theory, system justification theory, moral foundations theory, and identity control theory. Hypotheses suggest that messaging that provides data illustrating the extent of the gender inequality or its illegitimacy, minimizes threat to male group position, justifies the intervention using particular moral values (like loyalty and respect) or business motivations, or frames the intervention as influencing rather than adjusting the organizational practices, will be more successful in garnering support for the initiative compared to messaging that does not. Using six original experiments, the project determines whether and among whom support for an organizational gender intervention increases if its announcement: (1) provides data illustrating the extent of the gender inequality; (2) provides evidence that the gender inequality is illegitimate; (3) reduces threat against male group position; (4) justifies the intervention using particular moral values; (5) justifies the intervention using business motivations rather than moral motivations; and (6) frames the intervention as influencing or adjusting the organizational practices. Subjects will be recruited from a nationally representative sample, thus enhancing the external validity of the findings. Findings will provide evidence for key theories and assist business organizations in deriving strategies to reduce gender inequity.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

现代社会的一个标志是这样一种信念，即组织的奖励应该基于功绩，而不是性别和种族等归属特征。然而，有时当组织试图使他们的招聘、评估和晋升过程变得任人唯贤时，他们的员工、消费者和公众会抵制这些变化。虽然有许多理论表明这种反弹背后可能存在什么，但几乎没有证据表明是什么导致了这种反弹。该项目询问是什么导致了性别多样性倡议的反弹，以及哪些因素可以减少反弹。该项目将解决一个基本的社会心理学问题：当个人的群体地位和现状似乎受到威胁时，哪些因素可以压倒个人维护其群体地位和现状的心理倾向？该项目的发现可以帮助组织领导人增加对他们的认可，因为他们试图实施将减少工作场所性别不平等并使他们的公司更加任人唯贤的改革。本研究的研究假设来源于不同的社会学和心理学文献，包括群体立场理论、制度正当性理论、道德基础理论和身份控制理论。假设表明，提供数据说明性别不平等程度或其非法性、将对男性群体地位的威胁降至最低、使用特定道德价值观(如忠诚和尊重)或商业动机来证明干预是合理的，或者将干预定为影响而不是调整组织实践的消息，将比没有影响的消息更成功地获得对倡议的支持。该项目利用六个原始实验，确定如果宣布：(1)提供数据说明性别不平等的程度；(2)提供性别不平等不合法的证据；(3)减少对男性群体地位的威胁；(4)使用特定的道德价值观证明干预是正当的；(5)使用商业动机而不是道德动机证明干预是正当的；以及(6)将干预视为影响或调整组织做法的干预。受试者将从具有全国代表性的样本中招募，从而增强调查结果的外部有效性。研究结果将为关键理论提供证据，并帮助商业组织制定减少性别不平等的策略。这一奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。