Prejudice surfaces as a social problem only when groups contest their roles

Evidence

When social, political, or economic circumstances change, group members may attempt to gain access to roles they have not previously occupied. For example, the decline of birth rates in industrialized countries (United Nations, 2001) and the mechanization and commercialization of domestic labor has changed the status of women. Similarly, African Americans’ status changed when they migrated from the rural South to the urban North in the United States (Lemann, 1991). As large numbers of group members attempt to move into nontraditional roles, prejudice becomes a recognized social issue. Group members are thought to fit their traditional niches – that is, to have special qualities that enable them to do the work their group has always done. — John F. Dovidio, Peter Glick, Laurie A. Rudman, On the Nature of Prejudice, 206 (#corroborates, via linked claim)

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Prejudice surges against group members who seek new social roles; Prejudice strikes groups entering roles incongruent with their stereotypes; Prejudices become recognized only when social movements challenge the status quo (+3 more)

Broader Connections

• Group role-transitions make latent prejudice into a recognized social issue. #corroborates (0.95) — John F. Dovidio, Peter Glick, Laurie A. Rudman, On the Nature of Prejudice, 206