Print

Krulewitz, Julianne

Psychology

2007

PhD

The present study compared the influence of two interpersonal goals on women's reactions to an interaction with a sexist peer. Participants were encouraged to act in accordance with an interpersonal goal that emphasized either their ability to complete a given task and remain in control (respect goal condition) or their ability to keep a given task running smoothly and remain congenial (warm goal condition). Manipulated goal condition had little effect on whether participants agreed or disagreed with sexist comments made by their peers. However, participants were less likely to integrate their partner's advice into their response when trying to be respected than when trying to be warm.
Individual differences in feminism, gender identity, and stigma consciousness influenced a number of participants' responses and reactions to sexism. Most notably, participants who identified with feminism and feminist ideologies were more likely to confront their partner's sexism than less feminist participants were, highly gender identified participants suppressed their emotional reactions more when they were trying to be warm than when they were trying to be respected, and highly stigma conscious participants were more likely to show surprise and write about sexism than less stigma conscious participants were.
This study reveals the complex nature of women's reactions to sexism and adds to the growing body of research that suggests that although women face a number of barriers to a stigma-free environment, teaching them about the discrimination they face and helping them to develop useful self-presentation strategies will play a large role in combating the inequality that exists in contemporary society.