From Baby Bump to Stressful Slump: An Episodic Model of Identity Management Behaviors in Pregnant Employees

Kristen Price Jones

Advisor: Eden B King, PhD, Department of Psychology

Committee Members: Jose Corina, Mandy O'Neill

April 01, 2013, 09:00 AM to 07:00 AM

Abstract:

Despite the rapid entrance of women into the workforce over the past several decades, many workplace experiences unique to women remain poorly understand. One critical, yet understudied, area of examination is the intersection of work and pregnancy. Extant research suggests pregnant employees may face considerable challenges in light of the often stigmatized nature of pregnancy in the context of the workplace. Given pregnancy remains concealable for a substantial portion of pregnancy, expectant employees must navigate decisions regarding to whom, when, and how to disclose their pregnant identities at work through revealing, concealing, and signaling behaviors. Thus, the purpose of the current study was to explore discrimination as a potential antecedent to and consequence of these identity management decisions. Furthermore, the current study sought to examine the implications of revealing, concealing, and signaling behaviors for psychological well-being. Taken together, the findings suggest 1) discrimination is neither an antecedent to nor a consequence of disclosure decisions – it is both, 2) expectant employees who were generally more revealing of their pregnancies at work reported lower average perceptions of discrimination, 3) disclosure interactions characterized by high concealing and signaling were associated with increases in psychological distress, and 4) important differences emerged as a function of the level of analysis (i.e., within-person versus person-level). Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.