Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2022 Mar 16:13:809862.
doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.809862. eCollection 2022.

You're Prettier When You Smile: Construction and Validation of a Questionnaire to Assess Microaggressions Against Women in the Workplace

Mona Algner  1 , Timo Lorenz  1
Affiliations

You're Prettier When You Smile: Construction and Validation of a Questionnaire to Assess Microaggressions Against Women in the Workplace

Mona Algner et al. Front Psychol. .

Abstract

Gender microaggressions, especially its subtler forms microinsults and microinvalidations are by definition hard to discern. We aim to construct and validate a scale reflecting two facets of the microaggression taxonomy: microinsults and microinvalidations toward women in the workplace, the MIMI-16. Two studies were conducted (N1 = 500, N2 = 612). Using a genetic algorithm, a 16-item scale was developed and consequently validated via confirmatory factor analyses (CFA) in three separate validation samples. Correlational analyses with organizational outcome measures were performed. The MIMI-16 exhibits good model fit in all validation samples (CFI = 0.936-0.960, TLI = 0.926-0.954, RMSEA = 0.046-0.062, SRMR = 0.042-0.049). Multigroup-CFA suggested strict measurement invariance between all validation samples. Correlations were as expected and indicate internal and external validity. Scholars on gender microaggressions have mostly used qualitative research. With the newly developed MIMI-16 we provide a reliable and valid quantitative instrument to measure gender microaggressions in the workplace.

Keywords: confirmatory factor analyses; diversity; gender microaggressions; genetic algorithm; scale development; sexism; test validation; women at work.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
Measurement model for the MIMI-16 in the construction sample. MIMI-16, Microinsults and Microinvalidations Scale, abbreviated items refer to Table 1.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Aguinis H., Glavas A. (2019). On corporate social responsibility, sensemaking, and the search for meaningfulness through work. J. Manage. 45 1057–1086. 10.1177/0149206317691575 - DOI
    1. Bakker A. B., Demerouti E., Verbeke W. (2004). Using the job demands-resources model to predict burnout and performance. Hum. Resour. Manage. 43 83–104. 10.1002/hrm.20004 - DOI
    1. Bandura A. (1977). Self-efficacy: toward a unifying theory of behavioral change. Psychol. Rev. 84 191–215. 10.1037/0033-295X.84.2.191 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Barreto M., Ellemers N. (2005). The perils of political correctness: men’s and women’s responses to old-Fashioned and modern sexist views. Soc. Psychol. Q. 68 75–88. 10.1177/019027250506800106 - DOI
    1. Bartram D., Berberoglu G., Grégoire J., Hambleton R., Muñiz J., Van de Vijver F. (2018). ITC guidelines for translating and adapting tests (second edition). Int. J. Test. 18 101–134. 10.1080/15305058.2017.1398166 - DOI