Is She Worthy?: The Impact of Shared Racial Group Membership on Helping Behaviors towards Women

Recent work has suggested that negative consequences women face in response to gender-norm violations (i.e., backlash) primarily occur within racial groups. We suggest that the other side of the coin with regards to gender-norm enforcement—positive outcomes women might receive in response to gender-norm conformity—may likewise be conferred within rather than across racial groups. In two studies, across samples of both Black and White participants, we find evidence that when women engage in gender-norm conforming behavior, they receive more offers of help and mentorship from racial in-group members, particularly so among those who are highly motivated to uphold traditional gender relations—men from their racial in-group who endorse benevolent sexism. Implications for women’s career advancement and gender and race inequality are discussed.