Content area
Full text
ABSTRACT In this article, we argue that research concerning workplace discrimination could be advanced by considering 'everyday discrimination,' that is, the subtle, pervasive discriminatory acts experienced by members of stigmatized groups on a daily basis. Three studies are reported which use secondary data analysis techniques to provide evidence for the existence of everyday workplace discrimination against Blacks. In addition to demonstrating the occurrence of such discrimination, evidence is presented which indicates that the experience of everyday discrimination is negatively associated with various indicators of well-being. The implications of these findings for organizations and for discrimination researchers are discussed.
KEYWORDS discrimination * job satisfaction * racism * well-being
As the diversity of the American workforce increases, organizational researchers have been increasingly interested in issues of discrimination and prejudice on the job. Much of this research has focused on the perpetrators of discriminatory acts in the workplace and their prejudices (e.g. Dovidio & Gaertner, 2000; Frazer & Wiersma, 2001; Trentham & Larwood, 1998). Only recently have the experiences of the targets of discrimination become a focus of study. Some studies have shown that members of culturally stigmatized groups (i.e. those whose social identity is devalued in the context of dominant American culture; Crocker &C Major, 1989) often face discrimination in the workplace, with detrimental personal effects (e.g. Sanchez & Brock, 1996; Schneider et al., 2000). However, we argue that previous studies of workplace discrimination have failed to adequately sample the range of discriminatory events experienced by stigmatized individuals on the job. Such failure to sample the range of discrimination may lead to underestimation of both the prevalence and personal consequences of workplace discrimination. Focusing on Black Americans, we examine 'everyday' discrimination, those subtle and pervasive manifestations of racism faced by Blacks on a daily basis (Essed, 1991) in the workplace. We use secondary data analysis to assess the presence of everyday racism in the workplace in an unobtrusive manner and determine its impact on wellbeing.
The remainder of the article unfolds as follows. First, we update the organizational literature on workplace discrimination to include the concept of everyday discrimination. Specifically, we highlight the need to incorporate a more modern perspective, one that treats racism as subtle and discrimination as both ambiguous and pervasive, into the more...