Status, Communality, and Agency Implications for Stereotypes of Gender and Other Groups

• Published in: Journal of personality and social psychology Vol. 71; no. 1; pp. 25 - 38
• Main Authors: Conway, Michael, Pizzamiglio, M. Teresa, Mount, Lauren
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Washington, DC American Psychological Association 01-07-1996
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Adult Attitudes; Agency; Assertiveness; Biological and medical sciences; Emotional States; Factors; Female; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Gender; Gender Identity; Human; Humans; Interpersonal Interaction; Male; Middle Aged; Occupational Status; Occupations; Perceptions; Power (Psychology); Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychology. Psychophysiology; Relationship; Sex Roles; Sex Stereotypes; Social attribution, perception and cognition; Social Dominance; Social Identification; Social Perception; Social psychology; Social Status; Status; Stereotyped Attitudes; Stereotypes; Stereotyping; Human; Social status; Social perception; Sex role; Attitude; Social role; Stereotype; Professional status; Attribution
• ISSN: 0022-3514; 1939-1315
• DOI: 10.1037/0022-3514.71.1.25

Four studies addressed the hypothesis, based on correspondence bias, that low- relative to high-status individuals are perceived as more communal and less agentic. Study 1 instantiated status in terms of occupations, and findings were as expected. The findings of Study 2 reconciled those of Study 1 and of
A. H. Eagly and V. J. Steffen (1984)
in that they demonstrated that high-status occupations are differentially construed in terms of their interpersonal communal demands. The hypothesis received clear support in Studies 3 and 4, in which a general instantiation of status independent of occupations, social roles, and gender was adopted. The findings are discussed in terms of gender stereotypes and social role theory of gender (
A. H. Eagly, 1987
)
as well as in terms of other stereotypes.