In addition to highlighting the challenges that stem from varied forms of workplace discrimination, my research aims to pose fair and equitable solutions to mitigate these challenges and leverage the many benefits of diverse workplaces. Specifically, the goals of my program of research are to: 1) describe how discrimination emerges in organizational contexts and what its effects are on socially marginalized workers, with an emphasis on understanding the experiences of working women and mothers, 2) generate effective coping strategies that targets of discrimination can use to improve their experiences at work, and 3) offer guidance to organizations striving to achieve fair and effective diversity management.
Over the past several decades, traditional overt forms of discrimination have gradually been replaced by subtle forms of discrimination that are more ambiguous and difficult to detect. Though the decrease in blatant overt acts of discrimination indeed symbolizes progress, my research suggests that this apparent “fix” has generated additional problems. For instance, in a meta-analytic investigation examining the differential outcomes of subtle and overt forms of discrimination, my colleagues and I found that subtle forms of discrimination were equally, if not more damaging, to targets relative to overt forms of discrimination in a variety of domains including employee health, psychological well-being, job attitudes, performance, and turnover.
Related to this, one of my recent studies demonstrated the consequential nature of subtle forms of discrimination by examining help provided to pregnant workers as a counterintuitive form of benevolent sexism that weakens postpartum career attitudes. In this study, we looked at a specific form of help that we predicted would lower help-recipients’ confidence in their work-related abilities. We called this work-interfering help or help that undermines a woman’s ability to continue performing her work role independently. Examples of work-interfering help might include things like insisting that a woman go home early and “rest,” assigning women to less challenging tasks or assignments, or taking women off assignments requiring travel because one assumes they would not want to do so during pregnancy.
In line with our expectations, results of a weekly diary study of 105 pregnant employees suggested that women who reported receiving more work-interfering help during pregnancy felt less efficacy in their work role; in turn, these women were more likely to report that they were thinking about quitting their jobs after they returned to work nine months postpartum. Taken together, these results highlight unintended negative consequences that occur when others provide help to women at work during pregnancy that may be motivated by benevolently sexist ideologies.
Encouragingly, my research suggests that the extent to which organizations foster a supportive culture facilitates positive workplace experiences for socially marginalized employees. For example, one of my recent studies demonstrated the power of supportive relationships with coworkers and supervisors at work during pregnancy in shaping maternal health postpartum. Specifically, our findings suggested that women who benefitted from supportive coworkers and supportive supervisors during pregnancy reported the lowest levels of prenatal stress which were, in turn, associated with lower incidence of postpartum depression and quicker recovery times from birth-related injuries (see here for a recent interview in which I discuss these findings). Taken together, my work suggests that social support at work may be critical in shaping key outcomes for expectant employees and working mothers.
What Does This Mean For Working Well?
My work reveals that subtle discrimination, though less overt, can be equally or more harmful than blatant forms, as shown in studies linking it to negative outcomes like poor health, lower job satisfaction, and increased turnover. For instance, one study found that well-intentioned but patronizing help during pregnancy — such as assigning lighter tasks or discouraging travel — diminished women's confidence and contributed to thoughts of quitting postpartum. However, my research also highlights the positive impact of supportive workplace environments, showing that strong social support during pregnancy can reduce stress, lower postpartum depression, and aid recovery, underscoring the critical role of organizational culture in promoting equity and well-being.
Kristen Price Jones is the Robert Wang Chair of Excellence and an associate professor at the University of Memphis Fogelman College of Business and Economics.
