Gender stereotype violation among job applicants: An examination of theory and measurement

This research examined conflicting theoretical predictions regarding evaluations of job applicants who violated gender role stereotypes. A comparison of expectancy violation theory and the shifting standards model was made. Further, this research tested explicit and implicit sexism as moderators of the shifting standards effect. It was predicted that participants higher in sexism would show shifting standards in judgments of gender stereotype violators on ratings of warmth, competence, interview likelihood, hireabilty, and salary.;Hypothesis tests examined how a job applicant's sex, qualifications, and job sex type interacted to influence evaluations. The design was a 2 (applicant sex) X 2 (qualifications: high or low) X 2 (job sex type: male or female-dominated) between participants factorial design. Explicit and implicit measures of sexism were included as continuous predictor variables to test for moderation.;Participants read the materials of a job applicant applying for a chemistry lab technician or interior designer position. Participants evaluated the applicant's warmth, competence, interview likelihood, and made a hiring and salary decision. The results provided some support for the hypothesis that shifting standards in judgments of gender stereotype violators would be moderated by both explicit and implicit sexism. Participants higher in sexism were more likely to praise stereotype violators on subjective measures, but derogate them on objective measures. Participants lower in sexism did not use shifting standards in judgments, except for ratings of highly qualified male applicants' salaries. The findings provide some support for the shifting standards model's predictions, which also can account for expectancy violation theory's predictions.;The results have implications for evaluations of job applicants and employees. Individuals who violate gender role stereotypes in the workplace may face discrimination in evaluations. However, discrimination may be difficult to detect because employment evaluation outcomes may depend on the type of measurement scales used.;This research extends the shifting standards model by demonstrating that explicit and implicit sexism moderate the use of shifting standards. Through measurement triangulation and theoretical integration, researchers can develop a better understanding of evaluations of stereotype violators. This may help researchers identify the conditions under which employment discrimination occurs and how it can be prevented.