Working Together by Mikki Hebl

Author:Mikki Hebl
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Published: 2024-04-15T00:00:00+00:00

Our research has shown that this kind of strategy can indeed reduce discrimination because it shifts attention away from narrow stereotypes.10

Reducing Justifications for Others’ Discrimination

Most people want to see themselves as egalitarian, so they try to suppress their stereotypes and prejudice. But stereotypes and prejudice still result in discrimination because people come up with excuses or justifications for their negative views. We may generally try to hold back stereotypes about women because we know it is not socially acceptable, but when a female leader expresses emotion, our reaction might be “See, I told you women are too emotional to be leaders.”

Given this, one approach for reducing discrimination is to eliminate the excuses or justifications that allow it to emerge. Consider a person who is heavy. There are a number of stereotypes associated with obesity that might lead to discrimination. A justification that often excuses discrimination toward heavy people is the belief that their condition is their own fault or that they are to blame. Our research found that when people who appear to be obese (by wearing obesity prosthetics or “fat” suits) said that they were on a diet and training for a half marathon, they encountered less discrimination than when they said they were not dieting or exercising. This suggests that reducing or addressing the excuses people have for discrimination can improve experiences.

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