Citation

Vial AC, Muradoglu M, Newman GE, Cimpian A. Psychol. Sci. 2022; ePub(ePub): ePub.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2022, Association for Psychological Science, Publisher John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1177/09567976211044133

PMID

35318861

Abstract

Women are underrepresented in fields in which success is believed to require brilliance, but the reasons for this pattern are poorly understood. We investigated perceptions of a "masculinity-contest culture," an organizational environment of ruthless competition, as a key mechanism whereby a perceived emphasis on brilliance discourages female participation. Across three preregistered correlational and experimental studies involving adult lay participants online (N = 870) and academics from more than 30 disciplines (N = 1,347), we found a positive association between the perception that a field or an organization values brilliance and the perception that this field or organization is characterized by a masculinity-contest culture. This association was particularly strong among women. In turn, perceiving a masculinity-contest culture predicted lower interest and sense of belonging as well as stronger impostor feelings. Experimentally reducing the perception of a masculinity-contest culture eliminated gender gaps in interest and belonging in a brilliance-oriented organization, suggesting possible avenues for intervention.

Language: en

Keywords

brilliance; gender stereotypes; impostor feelings; masculinity-contest culture; open data; open materials; preregistered; sense of belonging