Allyship has been touted as a method to combat discrimination and cultivate inclusive environments in the workplace (Hebl et al., 2020). Extant perspectives on allyship predominantly focus on what factors engender engagement in allyship. Taking an alternative perspective, this study sought to examine why individuals are demotivated from allyship engagement. Given there are social costs associated with allyship behavior, the current study examined allyship through the lens of prosocial risk-taking (i.e., prosocial behaviors that carry a social cost), and posited that prosocial tendencies, tolerance to risk, and their interaction would positively impact allyship. As hypothesized, the results suggest that prosocial tendencies are important for allyship. Contrary to the hypotheses, risk tolerance did not significantly predict allyship or moderate the relationship between prosocial tendencies and allyship. Yet, as risk tolerance was significantly correlated to allyship behaviors, this study provides tentative evidence that future research should consider the role risk plays in deterring engagement in allyship.
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