Lowering Their Meritocratic Blinders: White Men’s Harassment Experiences and Their Recognition and Reporting of Workplace Race and Gender Bias

Abstract

White men will be allies in addressing workplace racism and sexism only to the extent they recognize that such bias exists and are willing to act. This article proposes a novel factor in white men’s bias recognition and reporting: their own negative treatment at work. Expanding the underdog thesis, the author argues that white men who experience harassment (e.g., physical intimidation) are more likely to recognize and report workplace race and gender bias. Using survey data of 11,273 employees in 24 federal agencies, the author finds that white men harassment targets are indeed more likely than other white men to recognize race and gender bias and to have reported bias to colleagues and supervisors. White men harassment targets are more skeptical that their organizations operate meritocratically, and this greater skepticism is tied to more frequent recognition and reporting. These findings have implications for organizational change efforts and for theories of social privilege.

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