In the office or at the gym: The impact of confronting sexism in specific contexts on support for confrontation and perceptions of others

Abstract

ABSTRACT The current research investigated support for confronting a sexist comment and how responses in a work or social setting by a target or witness can influence actor perceptions. Across three studies, we demonstrated that although most people supported confrontation by a female target, she was evaluated less positively when confronting than passive, especially in a social versus professional context. In contrast, a male witness was evaluated more positively when confronting than passive, regardless of context. Notably, perceptions of the perpetrator of the comment were only influenced by the target’s response: with less positive evaluations when the target was confronting than passive, especially in the office. These findings contribute to understanding which responses and environments foster confrontation and reduce backlash.