Power & Social Change Lab
Gender Relations as Power Relations
Relations between men and women, across the world, are shaped by differences in power. Women are still vastly underrepresented in powerful positions, earn less money than men for doing the same job, and are the primary victims of domestic violence. In our research we aim to understand why gender inequality is so difficult to overcome. Our current projects zoom in on gender-based separation in daily activities, gender asymmetry among couples at home pertaining to the mental load of managing one's family, and gendered parenting.
Harmony and Social Change
For decades, reconciliation efforts have been based on models of cooperative and positive interactions between members of groups in conflict. Extensive work had shown that such interactions improve attitudes and emotions across group lines – outcomes which are considered pivotal for promoting more harmonious, less conflictual, relations between groups. In my previous work I challenged the assumption that harmony between groups is the best recipe for solving intergroup tension. My research demonstrates that harmonious relations can, quite paradoxically, serve to sustain the status quo by undermining disadvantaged group members' awareness of injustice and commitment for social change (reviewed here). Our current projects focus on the potential long term effects of failed attempts to sustain group-based harmony. You can read more about this project here.
Collective Action
When people act on behalf of their group to achieve group goals, they are engaging in collective action. Throughout history, collective action has played a critical role in social change. Extensive body of research has addressed various predictors of collective action. In this line of research we aim to expand understanding of collective action by examining novel predictors on part of disadvantaged groups, in particular we investigate a sense of betrayal as a predictor of support for violent action among minority groups. We also study psychological processes among advantaged groups that explain when they are most likely to support the action's cause.
Power & Contact
Almost any encounter between members of different groups involves differences in power. In our work we investigate how societal power dynamics shape intergroup encounters. We study dialogue groups, intergroup friendships, clinical encounters, and political negotiations. Our research reveals that power position has a significant impact on how one approaches encounters, experiences them and is affected by them.