178 CLEARING THE HURDLES: WOMEN BUILDING HIGH-GROWTH BUSINESSES
• Exclude those who don’t belong to the group—those in the out-
group
Individuals attribute common feelings and experiences to other
members of their group even before they know them personally, basing
their assessments on the stereotype of what membership represents.
To preserve cohesiveness in a group and to define the group stan-
dards more clearly, members ostracize minority members. Fearing that
others might attribute to them the same negative characteristics that
they attribute to this ostracized individual, those in the majority main-
tain cohesiveness by closing ranks. Is it any wonder that women feel
unwelcome in groups dominated by men? By the same token, men are
likely to feel ...