Open AccessResistance towards increasing gender diversity in masculine domains: The role of intergroup threat
Author(s) -
Amy Jones,
Rhian N. Turner,
Ioana M. Latu
Publication year - 2022
Publication title -
group processes and intergroup relations/group processes and intergroup relations
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.535
H-Index - 73
eISSN - 1461-7188
pISSN - 1368-4302
DOI - 10.1177/13684302211042424
Subject(s) - diversity (politics) , resistance (ecology) , psychology , gender diversity , social psychology , ingroups and outgroups , social identity theory , identity (music) , gender identity , cultural diversity , developmental psychology , social group , sociology , ecology , corporate governance , physics , finance , anthropology , acoustics , economics , biology
Efforts to increase diversity can often be met with resistance amongst high-status groups. Despite this, little is known about majority-group responses towards increasing gender diversity, and the psychological mechanisms underlying them. Across five studies, we extended intergroup threat theory to advance understanding of resistance towards gender diversity amongst men in masculine domains (Studies 1–3 and 5) and amongst women in feminine domains (Study 4). Experimental evidence from male STEM students (Study 1) and professionals (Studies 2 and 5) revealed that realistic threats underlie resistance. Experimentally reducing realistic threat ( N = 165) reduced negative reactions. Whereas realistic-threat-based resistance towards increasing gender diversity did not extend to women in female-dominated domains (Study 4, N = 105), there was a tendency for women high in ingroup identity to show a similar pattern to men. We discuss how we advance theory on diversity resistance, and discuss strategies which may effectively reduce resistance.