Supportive Male Allies Can Make Male-Dominated Workplaces Less Hostile For Women

By Emily Reynolds Despite much work to counter unequal workforces in science, technology, engineering and maths, stereotypes about who will succeed in science still abound — and some research suggests that these biases can actively put people off certain careers or fields. Other papers find that the competitive nature of STEM courses and roles can be particularly damaging, leading to low feelings of belonging and subsequent low retention rates for minority groups. A new paper looks at the role of men in countering hostile environments — in particular, how men can signal their support and respect for women colleagues. Over three studies, the University of Kansas team found that supportive male allies helped reduce feelings of isolation and hostility for their women colleagues, potentially offering a new way to combat inequality in STEM. In the first study, 241 White women were told to imagine they had recently received a job offer at a chemistry company. Participants were randomly assigned to four conditions: in each, they saw a slideshow of their future co-workers. In two conditions all co-workers were male, while in the other they were gender-balanced. Within those groups, some participants were also assigned to the “ally condition”, in which one of the male co-workers expressed support for gender equality, while in the “no-ally condition”, none of the men mentioned gender equality. After viewing this slideshow, participants indicated how much they ...
Source: BPS RESEARCH DIGEST - Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Tags: Gender Occupational Source Type: blogs