APPLETON, WIS. — A social psychologist specializing in gender stereotyping discusses his role as an expert witness in sex discrimination cases and how those cases subsquently influenced his own research in an address at Lawrence University.
Peter Glick, professor of psychology at Lawrence, presents “Why the Glass Ceiling Hasn’t Shattered: Tales from the Lab and the Courts from a Researcher Turned Expert Witness” Wednesday, April 11 at 7:30 p.m. in Science Hall, Room 102.
Hired as an expert witness in six cases, Glick will examine the role of an expert witness, what kind of testimony is allowed and how complicated research findings can be effectively communicated to a jury. The talk will include examples from two specific cases Glick worked on, including a recent class action lawsuit that settled for $15 million the day before the trial was to begin.
He also will discuss how his work on one particular case provided new research insights into the subtle ways in which female leaders are penalized for not living up to prescriptions for feminine “niceness” and modesty. He will examine the case that inspired his research, his findings and their practical implications for addressing discrimination, especially the “glass ceiling,” in the workplace.
Glick’s scholarship focuses on the subtle and the overt ways in which prejudices and stereotypes foster social inequality. In research he co-authored, he introduced the concept of “ambivalent sexism,” asserting that not just hostile, but subjectively benevolent views of women as pure, but fragile, reinforce gender inequality. According to Glick, such “benevolent sexism” rewards women for conforming to conventional gender roles and results in hostile attitudes toward women who fail to do so.
His research was recognized with the Gordon W. Allport Prize in 1995 for the best paper on intergroup relations. In 2004, he was elected a fellow of both the American Psychological Association and the American Psychological Society, the two largest and most prominent professional organizations in the field of psychology.
Glick joined the Lawrence faculty in 1985 after earning his Ph.D. in social psychology at the University of Minnesota.
