Abstract
This study examined the reactions of 207 undergraduate women (mean age = 20.6, 91.3% White) from a Northeastern U.S. university to a scenario in which a feminist or non-feminist woman did or did not indicate that gender discrimination was the reason that she was passed over for a leadership role. Participants rated the feminist woman as less a victim of discrimination and as more of a complainer than the non-feminist woman. Participants also had a more positive impression of the woman and rated her as less of a complainer when discrimination was certain or ambiguous than when there was little evidence of discrimination. Discussion considers how a feminist label may lead to discounting the possibility of gender discrimination.
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Roy, R.E., Weibust, K.S. & Miller, C.T. If She’s a Feminist it Must Not be Discrimination: The Power of the Feminist Label on Observers’ Attributions About a Sexist Event. Sex Roles 60, 422–431 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11199-008-9556-6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11199-008-9556-6