Can Self-Affirmation Reduce Backlash?

Abstract

In this paper, we explore self-affirmation as an intervention to reduce backlash, focusing specifically on the negative cognitive and emotional reactions that men experience with women striving to succeed in male-dominated contexts. In three studies of male-dominated work contexts, we show that men report a lower willingness to work with women than men, and this unwillingness stems from two related factors: anxiety and perceived dominance behaviors. We find that self- affirmation reduces male anxiety at the prospect of working with women and, as a consequence, makes men less likely to evaluate women as dominant and, therefore, more willing to work with them. Our findings suggest that self-affirmation could be a valuable intervention to alleviate gender discrimination.