When Searching Hurts:The Role of Information Search in Reactions to Gender Discrimination

Two laboratory studies conducted with Dutch students explored women's motivation to search for evidence of gender discrimination and its effects on psychological well-being. Study 1 (N = 161) considered situational self-relevance of one's personal outcomes (personal failure or success) on women's motivation to collect information about gender discrimination. Study 2 (N = 106) manipulated information search and studied its effects on well-being when information contains evidence of gender discrimination or personal failure. Results revealed that women are motivated to search for evidence of discrimination when outcomes are highly self-relevant (Study 1) or the need to search is high (Study 2). Furthermore women suffer from evidence of prejudice, but only when they are personally affected by this prejudice and evidence suggests it is pervasive.