Allyship against interpersonal pregnancy discrimination: exploring observers’ spontaneous responses toward pregnancy self-disclosure, interpersonal discrimination and male allyship

• Date: 03 May 2024
• Pages: 1233-1258
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/EDI-11-2022-0332
• Published date: 03 May 2024
• Author: Meg Aum Warren,Haley Bock,Tejvir Sekhon,Katie Winkelman

Allyship against interpersonal

pregnancy discrimination:

exploring observers’spontaneous

responses toward pregnancy

self-disclosure, interpersonal

discrimination and male allyship

Meg Aum Warren

College of Business and Economics, Western Washington University,

Bellingham, Washington, USA

Haley Bock

College of Humanities and Social Sciences, Western Washington University,

Bellingham, Washington, USA

Tejvir Sekhon

College of Business and Economics, Western Washington University,

Bellingham, Washington, USA, and

Katie Winkelman

Independent Researcher, Bellingham, Washington, USA

Abstract

Purpose –Pregnant employees experience considerable interpersonal discrimination. This study explores the

range of possible reactions of observers to pregnancy self-disclosure,interpersonal discrimination and various

allyship interventions, and the attentional processes that lead to those reactions. Consequently, it uncovers

socio-cognitive processes underlying support for and backlash toward pregnancy in the workplace.

Design/methodology/approach –This study used a thought-listing technique to explore observers’

spontaneous thoughts related to pregnancy. Working adults were randomly assigned to read through one of

the six scenarios depicting pregnancy self-disclosure, interpersonal discrimination and male allyship

interventions (i.e. stating the organization’s anti-discrimination policy, confronting the transgressor by calling

out sexism, pivoting the conversation to highlight the strengths of the pregnant employee and a hybrid

intervention combining highlighting strengths and confrontation) after which participants listed the top three

thoughts that came to their mind (1,668 responses). Responses were thematically analyzed to explore

spontaneous reactions toward the pregnant employee, transgressor and ally in the scenario.

Findings –Surprisingly, across all scenarios, the most sexist thoughts emerged during pregnancy self-

disclosure, even in the absence of any transgression. After a transgression occurred, any allyship intervention

was better than none in eliciting lesser sexist backlash against the pregnant employee. Stating the

organization’s anti-discrimination policy was most beneficial for the pregnant employee in eliciting the least

sexist backlash but at the cost of generating unfavorable impressions of the ally. Calling out the transgressor’s

bias elicited the most sexistbacklash toward the pregnant employee, yet it created favorable impressions of the

ally. In contrast, highlighting the strengths of the pregnant employee created the most favorable impression of

the ally while eliciting a few sexist thoughts about the pregnant employee. Overall, the hybrid intervention was

the most effective at balancing the competing goals of generating support for the pregnant employee, creating

favorable impressions of the ally, as well as holding the transgressor accountable.

Discrimination

and allyship

interventions

1233

Meg Aum Warren, Haley Bock and Tejvir Sekhon contributed equally to the paper.

Special thanks to Leslie Aguilar for administrative support. This project would not be possible

without funding from Western Washington University.

The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at:

https://www.emerald.com/insight/2040-7149.htm

Received 30 November 2022

Revised 19 April 2023

15 January 2024

Accepted 21 March 2024

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion:

An International Journal

Vol. 43 No. 8, 2024

pp. 1233-1258

© Emerald Publishing Limited

2040-7149

DOI 10.1108/EDI-11-2022-0332

Originality/value –This study demonstrates that the type of allyship intervention critically redirects the

attentional focus of observers to certain aspects of a discrimination episode and relevant schemas which can

generate support or backlashtoward targets, transgressors and allies, thereby advancing or obstructing equity

and inclusion in organizations.

Keywords Discrimination, Pregnancy, Women, Allyship, Men as Allies, Confronting bias,

Highlighting strengths, Attention, Anti-Discrimination policy, Intervention, Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, DEI

Paper type Research paper

Discrimination against pregnant employees is a global challenge that is widespread (Gitis et al.,

2022), rising (Mohan, 2023), persistent (McCann and Tomaskovic-Devey, 2021) and among the

hardest to end (Ro, 2022). Althoughgovernmental andcorporate regulations may preventovert

discrimination, pregnant employees experience considerable interpersonal hostility that carries

adverse downstream outcomes threatening their job security, career progression and well-being

(King and Botsford, 2009;Morgan et al.,2013). At the same time, there is a growing consensus

that for interpersonal discrimination to stop, men must intervene as allies (e.g. UN Women

HeforShe Campaign). Past research has primarily examined pregnant employees’actions to

mitigate interpersonal discrimination against themselves (e.g. concealing pregnancy, Hennekam,

2016;Morgan et al.,2013). More recent research has begun to explore the role of allies in

intervening in the face of interpersonal pregnancy discrimination (Warren et al., 2022a,b).

In the current study, we expand this work by examining the dynamics of pregnancy self-

disclosure,discrimination and allyship interventions from the lensof attentional focus (James,

1890/1983) of observers,such as coworkers,supervisors, supervisees and otherstakeholders in

an organization. Simply, we propose that when an employee is pregnant, certain social

dynamics may begin to unfold, pulling observers’attention to and activating a variety of

pregnancy-related schemas, and eliciting reactions that may ultimately lead to adverse

psychological and career outcomes for the pregnant employee.These events often begin with

self-disclosure of pregnancy by the employee,which draws attention to the pregnantbody and

activates related schemas and mayelicit reactions of support or bias.If discrimination occurs,

the transgressor’s behaviormay sharpen the attentionof observers on how the pregnantbody

violates “theideal worker”norm and can elicit various reactions(e.g. bias, support, anger and

sympathy)toward the pregnant employeeas well as the transgressor.Further, if an ally steps

up toadvocate for or supportthe pregnantemployee (Washington and Evans, 1991), such action

may then interrupt and redirect observers’attentional focus to other aspects of pregnancy-

related workplace schemas (e.g. one must not discriminate). The type of allyship intervention

mayalso play a role in redirectingobservers’attentionin ways thatmay engender theirsupport,

ambivalenceor backlash toward the pregnant employee, transgressor,as well as the ally.

The purpose of the current study is to explore the range of possible reactions of observers

to pregnancy, interpersonal discrimination, as well as allyship, and the attentional processes

(e.g. discrimination drawing attention to pregnancy-related schemas) that lead to those

reactions (e.g. support for pregnant individuals among some observers and justification for

the transgressor among some others). We propose that understanding these attentional

processes is a fundamental first step in challenging implicit biases toward pregnant bodies

and rallying support for cultural change. Specifically, by exploring observers’spontaneous

responses, the study aims to map the types of reactions observers have to pregnancy self-

disclosure, interpersonal discrimination and allyship interventions, and consequently point

to how these events and interventions might redirect observers’attention to specific schemas,

and in turn, deepen or shift implicit biases with downstream consequences for pregnant

individuals. In so doing, this study contributes by deepening the understanding of pregnancy

discrimination at a socio-cognitive level underscoring the role of attention and spontaneous

reactions in driving support or pushback around pregnancy in the workplace.

EDI

43,8

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