Does Gender Raise the Ethical Bar? Exploring the Punishment of Ethical Violations at Work

Abstract

Following an ethical violation at work, the punishments people receive have important implications for their lives, both professionally and personally, so it is vital that punishments be fair and non-discriminatory. However, across two studies using different methods, we find that women are punished more severely than men for ethical violations at work. Study 1 observes the gender disparity in an archival data set involving attorneys who violated the American Bar Association’s ethical rules. Study 2 replicates the gender disparity in a laboratory experiment which randomly varies the gender of the transgressor. Our studies also explore both when and why this gender disparity emerges. To explore when this disparity emerges, we examined two potential moderating factors: the gender composition of the decision-making body that allocates punishment (Study 1) and the importance of ethicality to the group (Study 2). In Study 1, the gender disparity emerged only when women were under-represented among the decision-makers allocating punishment. In Study 2, the gender disparity emerged only when groups more strongly prescribed ethical traits. To explore why the disparity emerges, we examined the possibility that women face an intensified prescription to be ethical, relative to men. We found evidence for the prescriptive gender stereotype, but it did not mediate the gender disparity in punishment. Our research contributes to knowledge of punitive processes in work organizations and describes a novel form of gender discrimination.