Social desirability bias in attitudes towards sexism and DEI policies in the workplace

Anne Boring and Josse Delfgaauw

Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, 2024, vol. 225, issue C, 465-482

Abstract: Do workers speak their mind about sexism and about diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies in the workplace? We measure social desirability bias regarding sexism and DEI policies using a list experiment survey among workers from five male-dominated industries in France and in the US. In both countries and, remarkably, among both men and women, we document substantial social desirability bias. Managers exhibit a larger bias than non-managerial employees. This difference between voiced and real attitudes may make organizations overestimate support for DEI policies in their workforce, rendering such policies less effective.

Keywords: Sexism; Diversity; Social desirability bias; List experiment survey (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: J16 J71 M14 M5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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Working Paper: Social desirability bias in attitudes towards sexism and DEI policies in the workplace (2024)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:jeborg:v:225:y:2024:i:c:p:465-482

DOI: 10.1016/j.jebo.2024.07.010

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