Gender perspectives on self‐censorship in organizations: The role of management position, procedural justice and organizational climate

Self‐censorship in organizations is an individual's decision not to share information on observed irregularities and misconduct of others. The propensity to self‐censor, motivated by belief that voice will not be heard, may reflect gender inequalities. In Study 1 ( N = 948), we test whether women manifest more self‐censorship than men and we verify whether this effect is maintained when women and men hold managerial positions. In two follow‐up studies we analyse the effects of (a) procedural justice (Study 2, N = 98) and (b) communal organizational climate (Study 3, N = 589) on women's and men's self‐censorship. The results of our studies support our assumptions: (1) self‐censorship in women is more prevalent than in men, (2) women in management positions are more likely to self‐censor than men in managerial positions, and (3) procedural justice and communal organizational climate are negatively related to employees’ self‐censorship, and this relationship is stronger for women.