Intersectionality and Non-Reporting Behavior: Perceptions from Women of Color in Federal Law Enforcement

In: Review of public personnel administration, Volume 42, Issue 3, p. 574-592

Abstract

Since the passage of the No FEAR Act of 2002, scholars across various disciplines have examined women's reporting behavior toward sex-based discrimination. Most of the scholarship has concentrated on why women do not report sex-based discrimination, with this study being no exception. Missing, however, from this research is the intersectionality of race and gender, as most studies capture women as a homogeneous group without regard to race or ethnicity. Using a subsample of women who responded "yes" to having experienced sex-based discrimination ( n = 550) in the workplace but chose not to report the unlawful behavior, this study employs a series of mean comparisons to differentiate women's non-reporting behavior by race or ethnicity. The findings suggest women of color as a group, as well as African-American and Latina respondents by their respective minority race or ethnic subgroup, have differences in non-reporting behavior in comparison to White women. These findings are important because they illustrate a more accurate examination of women's reporting behavior in the workplace.