Date of Graduation
5-2025
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy in Business Administration (PhD)
Degree Level
Graduate
Department
Management
Advisor/Mentor
Rosen, Christopher C.
Committee Member
Simon, Lauren S.
Second Committee Member
Ridge, Jason W.
Keywords
masking; autism; workplace; anxiety/uncertainty management theory; expectancy violation theory; women
Abstract
Autistic women often mask their disability to fit in better with peers at work. However, this has long-term harmful effects on their well-being and ability to sustain employment. In order to promote more adaptive behaviors at work, it is necessary to understand environmental and social mechanisms that pressure autistic women to mask. In this dissertation, I draw on anxiety/uncertainty management theory and expectancy violation theory to suggest that in workplace meetings where expectations are not clear, autistic women experience uncertainty about whether their behavior will be appropriate and anxiety over the potential consequences of acting inappropriately. I argue that under these conditions, autistic women act in alignment with the norms associated with their social categories—either their gender or their autistic self. As gender is often more visible than autism, I suggest that when circumstances are ambiguous, and thus there is a higher perceived risk of behaving incongruent to expected behavior, autistic women will choose to mask and behave more feminine to reduce the risk of negative sanctions. Conversely, when autistic women understand the bounds of appropriate behavior in meetings, they feel confident in knowing when and how to speak up about their opinions and suggestions. Importantly, I propose two boundary conditions—self-efficacy and conventional attractiveness—that influence alignment to social categories and subsequent normed behavior. I test this model in an event-contingent three-week experience sampling study, which allows for an understanding of how this phenomenon unfolds in real time. This research suggests several practical interventions that organizations can leverage to increase workplace meeting inclusivity and thus reap the benefits of this population’s unique insights, providing benefits to autistic workers, organizations, and broader society. Finally, I set the stage for future research and theory on autistic women and workplace social interactions.
Citation
Ezerins, M. E. (2025). Sitting Down or Speaking Up: Influences on the Behavior of Autistic Women During Workplace Meetings. Graduate Theses and Dissertations Retrieved from https://scholarworks.uark.edu/etd/5687
