Prejudice strikes groups entering roles incongruent with their stereotypes

Evidence

Consistent with this analysis, variations in role requirements frame prejudices. Allport (1954/1979) recognized the contextual quality of prejudice with examples of the “curious patterns” (p. 55) of discrimination such as allowing “a Negro to work in my kitchen but not a Jew” whereas “a Jew but not a Negro may sit in my parlor” (p. 55). However, he did not provide an abstract analysis of this contextualism or recognize its generality. This generality has become fully apparent in contemporary research. For example, in a meta-analysis of Goldberg Paradigm experiments, more substantial bias was present when women were evaluated in a masculine or neutral domain rather than a feminine domain (Swim et al., 1989). Similarly, a meta-analysis of Goldberg Paradigm studies of leadership behavior showed that women are more devalued, compared with equivalent men, when occupying male-dominated roles that are presumably incongruent for women (Eagly, Makhijani, & Klonsky, 1992). Organizational research has confirmed that women who enter male-dominated work settings often receive hostile reactions (e.g., Collinson, Knights, & Collinson, 1990), which can include sexual harassment (Fitzgerald, 1993). Also, gay men are particularly at risk for prejudiced reactions in roles to which they are stereotypically mismatched – for example, military service (Segal, Gade, & Johnson, 1993). Gay men’s relatively effeminate image is incongruent with the tough, masculine role that military organizations construct for soldiers (Goldstein, 2001). — , Rudman, Laurie A - On the Nature of…, 198 (#expands, via linked claim)

Consistent with this analysis, variations in role requirements frame prejudices. Allport (1954/1979) recognized the contextual quality of prejudice with examples of the “curious patterns” (p. 55) of discrimination such as allowing “a Negro to work in my kitchen but not a Jew” whereas “a Jew but not a Negro may sit in my parlor” (p. 55). However, he did not provide an abstract analysis of this contextualism or recognize its generality. This generality has become fully apparent in contemporary research. For example, in a meta-analysis of Goldberg Paradigm experiments, more substantial bias was present when women were evaluated in a masculine or neutral domain rather than a feminine domain (Swim et al., 1989). Similarly, a meta-analysis of Goldberg Paradigm studies of leadership behavior showed that women are more devalued, compared with equivalent men, when occupying male-dominated roles that are presumably incongruent for women (Eagly, Makhijani, & Klonsky, 1992). Organizational research has confirmed that women who enter male-dominated work settings often receive hostile reactions (e.g., Collinson, Knights, & Collinson, 1990), which can include sexual harassment (Fitzgerald, 1993). Also, gay men are particularly at risk for prejudiced reactions in roles to which they are stereotypically mismatched – for example, military service (Segal, Gade, & Johnson, 1993). Gay men’s relatively effeminate image is incongruent with the tough, masculine role that military organizations construct for soldiers (Goldstein, 2001). — John F. Dovidio, Peter Glick, Laurie A. Rudman, On the Nature of Prejudice, 198 (#expands, via linked claim)

The role-incongruity analysis of prejudice encompasses Allport’s emphasis on negative attitudes toward groups by acknowledging that the overall evaluative content of a group’s stereotype can restrict the social roles for which group members are thought to be qualified. Social roles that offer prestige, status, income, love, and other outcomes will require many positive attributes; consequently, group stereotypes that are especially negative overall hinder access to a wide range of desirable roles because role-relevant positive attributes are absent from the stereotype. — John F. Dovidio, Peter Glick, Laurie A. Rudman, On the Nature of Prejudice, 213 (#complicates, via linked claim)

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Prejudice surges against group members who seek new social roles; Nonconscious stereotypes drive backlash against competent women; Prejudice targets individuals whose group stereotypes clash with role requirements. — , Rudman, Laurie A - On the Nature of…, 198 (+9 more)

Broader Connections

• Prejudice targets individuals whose group stereotypes clash with role requirements. #expands (0.95) — , Rudman, Laurie A - On the Nature of…, 198
• Prejudice arises from perceived mismatch between group traits and roles #expands (0.92) — John F. Dovidio, Peter Glick, Laurie A. Rudman, On the Nature of Prejudice, 198
• Negative overall stereotypes block group access to desirable social roles. #complicates (0.76) — John F. Dovidio, Peter Glick, Laurie A. Rudman, On the Nature of Prejudice, 213