Stereotype threat

Humans have different ways of thinking about ourselves – called identities – like being a member of a specific racial/ethnic group, a specific gender, a parent, a friend, an employee, or a boss. People may act based on which identity they feel in a situation, and stereotype threat occurs when a negative stereotype about one of their identities adversely affects their behavior.

Applications

• An illiterate individual may not believe they can report gender-based violence because they think “people like them” don’t speak up.

• A first-generation university student may drop out when they are struggling because they think “people like them” don’t graduate from college.

What it is not:

If people know there will be additional hurdles to overcome because of their identity, that is a structural issue to address.