"Why did I get a 'D'?" - The effects of social comparisons on women's attributions to discrimination

When do women blame their failure on discrimination? This question was addr essed in two experiments by examining the effects of social comparisons on women's attributions for a failing test grade. The results suggest that wom en are most likely to make an attribution to discrimination when they compa re themselves to another woman who received a failing grade and a man who r eceived a better grade from the same male judge. However, these effects onl y emerge when women are made aware of the possibility that the male judge m ight be biased against them. The implications of these findings are discuss ed and future research directions are considered.