Does Reducing Male Domination in Teams Attenuate or Intensify the Harmful Effects of Perceived Discrimination on Women's Job Satisfaction? A Test of Competing Hypotheses

Abstract

This study tested competing theoretical predictions surrounding the moderating effect of male domination in teams on the relation between women's perceptions of gender discrimination and their job satisfaction. Using archival data from an all‐female sample of active military personnel (n = 3,015) comprising 321 work teams, which fell on a continuum from less male dominated to more male dominated, we found that the extent to which teams were male dominated moderated the negative link between perceived gender discrimination and job satisfaction, such that perceptions of discrimination were more negatively related to job satisfaction for women working in teams that were less male dominated than for those working in teams that were more male‐dominated. We conclude by discussing the implications of our findings for research and practice and highlight several avenues for future research.