Gender Backlash and the Moderating Role of Shared Racial Group Membership

Abstract

Research suggests that White women often experience more gender backlash than women of color in response to expressions of agency. We consider whether this differential in backlash is driven by the match or mismatch of the race of both perceivers and targets. Much of the existing work in this space examines the perspective of White perceivers, which might underestimate racial minority women’s susceptibility to backlash if backlash occurs primarily in same-race interactions. We examine how the racial group memberships of targets and perceivers jointly affect backlash against gender-norm violating women. In analyses of Dr. Christine Blasey-Ford’s accusations of sexual assault against Brett Kavanaugh and Anita Hill’s accusations against Clarence Thomas during their respective U.S. Supreme Court confirmation hearings, an archival analysis of the 2016 U.S. presidential election, and two experiments, we find that perceivers of different races tend to express more backlash toward racial in-group than out-group women.

Gendered racial boundary maintenance: Social penalties for White women in interracial relationships.

“…Studies 2a and 2b also explored evaluations of the individual targets in the couple. In-group norm violators, particularly women violating gender norms, often suffer social penalties for their deviant behavior (Brescoll & Uhlmann, 2008;Livingston et al, 2012;van Kleef et al, 2015;Xiao, Lowery, & Stillwell, 2020). Similarly, we expected the White female target in our study would be evaluated as lower status when she violated in-group norms by having an out-group (vs. in-group partner).…”

“…Existing findings suggests that Women of Color and White women typically do not face the same degree of backlash for gender norm violations among White perceivers (Biernat & Fuegen, 2001; Toosi et al, 2019). For example, Black women who display agency or sexual promiscuity are met with less hostility than their White counterparts (Lopez, 1997; McMahon & Kahn, 2016; Xiao et al, 2020). Some have suggested that specific stereotypes about Black women as agentic and hypersexual might explain observed differences in gender backlash (i.e., Biernat & Fuegen, 2001; Galinsky et al, 2013; McMahon & Kahn, 2016).…”

“…Some have suggested that specific stereotypes about Black women as agentic and hypersexual might explain observed differences in gender backlash (i.e., Biernat & Fuegen, 2001;Galinsky et al, 2013;McMahon & Kahn, 2016). However, recent research suggests that White perceivers express greater gender backlash toward White women compared with women of color generally, not Black women specifically (Toosi et al, 2019;Xiao et al, 2020).…”

“…As a result, we expect Americans are more likely to share normative expectations for men and women's behavior with others from their racial group. Our shared understandings of gender norms, and backlash for violating those norms, may be primarily enacted and constructed within racial groups (Xiao et al, 2020).…”

“…As racial out-group members, Black targets should not be beholden to in-group norms, particularly in intergroup contexts such as the present research paradigm (Branscombe, Wann, Noel, & Coleman, 1993; Marques, Yzerbyt, & Leyens, 1988; Marques & Paez, 1994). Recent intersectional research also suggests that, as racial out-group members, Black women likely do not face the same gender expectations and backlash as White women (Galinsky, Hall, & Cuddy, 2013; Toosi et al, 2019; Xiao et al, 2020). Based on this research, we did not expect to observe the same effects for perceptions of the Black female target.…”