Development and Validation of the Ambivalent Homoprejudice Toward Lesbian Women at Work Scale

Abstract

Ambivalent homoprejudice theory posits that homoprejudice manifests as hostile and benevolent beliefs that negatively impact LGBTQIA + -identifying individuals. Extensive research has been conducted on the adverse impact of homoprejudice on gay men, both in general and in workplace contexts. However, there has been minimal research on how ambivalent homoprejudice affects lesbian women in the workplace. A significant challenge in this line of research is the absence of a validated scale to measure ambivalent homoprejudice attitudes towards lesbian women. Therefore, in this series of two studies, we developed and provided psychometric support for the Ambivalent Homoprejudice Toward Lesbian Women at Work Scale (AHW-L). Study 1 (N = 266) established the dimensionality of the scale and provided initial evidence of both reliability and validity. Study 2 was conducted to confirm the structure found in Study 1 in a new sample (N = 204) and provided further evidence of reliability and validity. The final validated scale can be used by organizations to identify prejudice in their organization and support the development of targeted interventions. The aim of this scale is to promote and facilitate rigorous research on the workplace experiences of lesbian women.