The impact of a benevolently sexist organizational climate on individual self-esteem: an exploration of the moderating impact of dyadic communication
Journal of Organizational Effectiveness: People and Performance
ISSN: 2051-6614
Article publication date: 19 June 2023
Issue publication date: 8 November 2023
Abstract
Purpose
Current events such as the #metoo and #timesup movements have ushered in an era of heightened awareness of sexist organizational climate. Increasingly, supporters have called for top-down changes, demanding that organizations embrace a culture of accountability. Accordingly, the current study proposed and investigated the concept of benevolently sexist organizational climate and explored the impact on women's state self-esteem, while testing for the potential moderating effects of power and gender.
Design/methodology/approach
The current experimental study utilized a video video-based manipulation to introduce benevolently sexist organizational climate with a 2 (content of communication) x 2 (gender of communicator) x 2 (status of communicator) between-subjects design. The hypotheses were tested using an analysis of variance moderation model, based on a sample of 652 women.
Findings
Results indicated a significant two-way interaction between benevolently sexist organizational climate and power on self-esteem. Specifically, results suggested that benevolently sexist organizational climates have a greater negative impact on women's self-esteem when a supervisor communicates the information on the climate as opposed to a coworker.
Practical implications
Benevolently sexist climate had a deleterious impact on women's organizational outcomes especially when communicated by a supervisor. These findings can be used for guidance on the development of training and interventions targeted at mitigating the prevalence of benevolently sexist workplace climate.
Originality/value
This study was the first to propose the concept of a benevolently sexist organizational climate. Additionally, the study demonstrated the negative impact of a benevolently sexist organizational climate on women's state self-esteem providing important implications for organizations. Further theoretical and practical implications are discussed.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
This research was supported by the National Institute of General Medical Sciences of the National Institutes of Health under Award Numbers: 5UL1GM118979; 5TL4GM118980; and 5RL5GM118978. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.
Citation
Warren, C., Wax, A., Galvez, G., Van Geffen, K.-A. and Zernick, M.V. (2023), "The impact of a benevolently sexist organizational climate on individual self-esteem: an exploration of the moderating impact of dyadic communication", Journal of Organizational Effectiveness: People and Performance, Vol. 10 No. 4, pp. 477-500. https://doi.org/10.1108/JOEPP-01-2022-0005
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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