Doctoral Dissertation Research: Choice, Control, and Discrimination

Stanford University, Stanford CA

Investigators

Abstract

SES-1029479 Shelley Correll Tamar Kricheli-Katz Stanford University Research suggests that people assign responsibility and moral judgments to undesirable events and traits that are believed to be within the control of individuals. That is, if we perceive that people have chosen a path that has led to unfortunate life circumstances, e.g. illness and poverty, then we are more likely to view them as responsible for their condition, and thus to judge them, reject them, dislike them and treat them negatively. But what are the consequences of assigned responsibility, moral judgment and stigma for the social structure? Do they affect discrimination and inequality? While the negative reactions associated with the perceptions of choice and controllability were documented by social psychologists, the relationship between such reactions and discrimination against those who are perceived to have made these choices, has not been addressed by scholars. This research studies the phenomenon of choice- based discrimination. The study predicts that the perception of a situation as controllable generates discrimination against those who are perceived to have chosen it. The co-investigator studies this hypothesis using a mixed method research design. The first component of the research is a quantitative analysis of the motherhood wage penalties associated with the perception of motherhood as a choice women have. The second component is a hiring experiment in which the relationship between the perception of choice and discrimination is assessed, using the examples of homosexuality, obesity and motherhood. The third component is a qualitative analysis where employers are interviewed in an effort to learn about the ways in which the relationships among choice, responsibility and discrimination are conceptualized. Broader Impacts: Research findings will contribute to the general literature on discrimination. This project examines a choice-based discrimination at the labor force that has not been studied before. Findings could potentially help us to understand how perceptions of choice and controllability may lead to discrimination against those who are perceived to have ?chosen? motherhood, obesity and homosexuality.