Navigating Loss: Understanding the impact of psychological safety on mens attitudes towards gender quotas

In January 2023, The 100% Project published a White Paper titled ‘Men and Gender Quotas: What’s loss got to do with it?’. This paper outlined research which found that men are less likely to support gender quotas, and may in fact actively resist them, when they associate gender quotas with loss of meritocracy and loss of leadership identity.

This white paper is an extension of the research outlined in ‘What’s loss got to do with it?’ and was conducted to replicate the earlier findings, as well as build on them by investigating psychological safety as a potential strategy to alleviate resistance. The current study did replicate previous findings and found that men are less likely to support gender quotas when they associate quotas with loss of meritocracy in the workplace and loss of leadership identity. In addition, the research outlined in this white paper shows that when men experience high levels of feelings of loss of leadership identity but are also in an environment that is psychologically safe they are less likely to resist gender quotas. Psychological safety did not affect levels of resistance in men who experience high levels of loss of meritocracy.

The focus of this white paper is on psychological safety and how this may serve as part of a strategy to alleviate resistance to gender quotas (in men).