Pregnant employees and occupational safety: Does stereotype threat play a role?

Lindsey Marie Lavaysse

My study examines the impact of stereotype threat (ST), the fear of confirming negative assumptions about a group to which one belongs (Steele, 1997), on the safety performance of pregnant workers in physically demanding occupations (e.g., manufacturing, construction, health care) that require the enactment of behaviors that are typically contraindicated during pregnancy (e.g., lifting of heavy objects, standing for long hours). Although there have been calls for further research on the effect of ST within organizations (Kalokerinos, von Hippel, & Zacher, 2014), research on the effects of ST on safety-related behaviors and outcomes is largely non-existent. Conservation of Resources Theory (Hobfoll & Freddy, 1990) and the transactional model of stress (Lazarus & Folkman, 1986) both serve as a theoretical foundation for the development of my hypotheses by indicating that the stress associated with ST will lead to poor safety outcomes. In an effort to avoid being stereotyped, individuals may engage in concealing or supra-performance as coping strategies, which is predicted to jeopardize their safety at work. These theories also provide support for the hypothesized mediating mechanisms - concealment or supra-performance- as strategies to cope with the stressor of ST yet lead to the occurrence of unsafe behaviors. Based on empirical evidence and this theoretical foundation, I expect that: H1) as ST increases, unsafe behaviors will increase; H2&3) the relationship between ST and poor safety behaviors will be partially mediated by pregnancy concealment efforts and supraperformance. The strength and direction of the proposed causal relationships was tested using a rigorous longitudinal design with survey data from pregnant employees working in physically demanding jobs at three separate time points over two months (N1 = 402; N2 =229; N3 = 191). Results and implications are discussed. Scientifically, this study uniquely contributes to the literature by bridging two areas of research (workplace discrimination and occupational safety) that have largely proceeded independently of each other. Given that pregnant workers represent a vulnerable and increasing sector of the workforce, it is critical to establish an empirical basis that can inform targeted and strategic interventions for improving the safety and health of pregnant employees.

Pregnant employees and occupational safety: Does stereotype threat play a role?

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