10 research outputs found
Uncovering Pluralistic Ignorance to Change Menâs Communal Self-descriptions, Attitudes, and Behavioral Intentions
Gender norms can lead men to shy away from traditionally female roles and occupations in communal HEED domains (Healthcare, Early Education, Domestic sphere) that do not fit within the social construct of masculinity. But to what extent do men underestimate the degree to which other men are accepting of men in these domains? Building on research related to social norms and pluralistic ignorance, the current work investigated whether men exhibit increased communal orientations when presented with the true norms regarding menâs communal traits and behaviors vs. their perceived faulty norms. Study 1 (N = 64) revealed that young Belgian men indeed perceive their peers to hold more traditional norms regarding communal and agentic traits than their peers actually hold. Study 2 (N = 319) presented young Belgian men with altered norms to manipulate exposure to menâs actual normative beliefs (i.e., what men truly think), their perceived norms (i.e., what men believe other men think), or a no information control. When men were presented with actual rather than perceived norms, they altered their own self-descriptions, future behavioral intentions, and broader gender-related social attitudes in a more communal direction. In particular, men who were presented with information about menâs actual beliefs regarding the compatibility between communal and agentic traits exhibited the strongest movement toward a more communal orientation. The findings show that participants in conditions that uncover pluralistic ignorance adapted their attitudes and behaviors to be more in line with the actual norm: adopting a more communal self-concept, having lower intentions to hide future communal engagement, and supporting more progressive gender-related social change. The results are discussed in terms of influences of norms on menâs communal orientations and broader attitudes toward gender-related social change, and the down-stream implications for increased gender-equality in HEED domains where men remain highly underrepresented
Gender Gap in Parental Leave Intentions: Evidence from 37 Countries
Despite global commitments and efforts, a gender-based division of paid and unpaid work persists. To identify how psychological factors, national policies, and the broader sociocultural context contribute to this inequality, we assessed parental-leave intentions in young adults (18â30 years old) planning to have children (N = 13,942; 8,880 identified as women; 5,062 identified as men) across 37 countries that varied in parental-leave policies and societal gender equality. In all countries, women intended to take longer leave than men. National parental-leave policies and womenâs political representation partially explained cross-national variations in the gender gap. Gender gaps in leave intentions were paradoxically larger in countries with more gender-egalitarian parental-leave policies (i.e., longer leave available to both fathers and mothers). Interestingly, this cross-national variation in the gender gap was driven by cross-national variations in womenâs (rather than menâs) leave intentions. Financially generous leave and gender-egalitarian policies (linked to menâs higher uptake in prior research) were not associated with leave intentions in men. Rather, menâs leave intentions were related to their individual gender attitudes. Leave intentions were inversely related to career ambitions. The potential for existing policies to foster gender equality in paid and unpaid work is discussed.Gender Gap in Parental Leave Intentions: Evidence from 37 CountriespublishedVersio
Gender Gap in Parental Leave Intentions: Evidence from 37 Countries
Despite global commitments and efforts, a gender-based division of paid and unpaid work persists. To identify how psychological factors, national policies, and the broader sociocultural context contribute to this inequality, we assessed parental-leave intentions in young adults (18â30 years old) planning to have children (N = 13,942; 8,880 identified as women; 5,062 identified as men) across 37 countries that varied in parental-leave policies and societal gender equality. In all countries, women intended to take longer leave than men. National parental-leave
policies and womenâs political representation partially explained cross-national
variations in the gender gap. Gender gaps in leave intentions were paradoxically
larger in countries with more gender-egalitarian parental-leave policies (i.e., longer leave available to both fathers and mothers). Interestingly, this cross-national
variation in the gender gap was driven by cross-national variations in womenâs (rather than menâs) leave intentions. Financially generous leave and gender-egalitarian policies (linked to menâs higher uptake in prior research) were not associated with leave intentions in men. Rather, menâs leave intentions were related to their individual gender attitudes. Leave intentions were inversely related to career ambitions. The potential for existing policies to foster gender equality in paid and unpaid work is discussed
How to Foster Male Engagement in Traditionally Female Communal Roles and Occupations: Insights from Research on Gender Norms and Precarious Manhood
While women are increasingly entering traditionally masculine, agentic occupations
and roles, there has been less of a shift in the opposite direction: men moving
into traditionally feminine, communal occupations and roles. This paper outlines
the negative consequences of menâs low communal engagement, and how this
inhibits various benefits for men themselves, for the women and children around
them, and for society as a whole. We review how sociopsychological processes
driven by gender norms and precarious manhood keep men from engaging in
communal roles and behaviors. Moreover, we outline how insights into these contextual
barriers to menâs communal engagement may also be used to facilitate
change such that men are freed to pursue both agentic and communal roles. We
discuss (the effectiveness of) different interventions at the societal, organizational,
social, and relational level that may enable men to pursue communal interests.status: publishe
Uncovering pluralistic ignorance to change menâs communal self-descriptions, attitudes, and behavioral intentions.
status: publishe
Coping with stigma in the workplace: Understanding the role of threat regulation, supportive factors, and potential hidden costs
status: submitte
Gender Gap in Parental Leave Intentions: Evidence from 37 Countries
Despite global commitments and efforts, a gender-based division of paid and unpaid work persists. To identify how psychological factors, national policies, and the broader sociocultural context contribute to this inequality, we assessed parental leave intentions in young adults (18-30 years old) planning to have children (N = 13,942; 8,880 identified as women; 5,062 identified as men) across 37 countries that varied in parental leave policies and societal gender equality. In all countries, women intended to take longer leave than men. National parental leave policies and womenâs political representation partially explained cross-national variations in the gender gap. Gender gaps in leave intentions were paradoxically larger in countries with more gender-egalitarian parental leave policies (i.e., longer leave available to both fathers and mothers). Interestingly, this cross-national variation in the gender gap was driven by cross-national variations in womenâs (rather than menâs) leave intentions. Financially generous leave and gender-egalitarian policies (linked to menâs higher uptake in prior research) were not associated with leave intentions in men. Rather, menâs leave intentions were related to their individual gender attitudes. Leave intentions were inversely related to career ambitions. The potential for existing policies to foster gender equality in paid and unpaid work is discussed
The Gender Gap in the Care Economy is Larger in Highly Developed Countries: Socio-cultural Explanations for Paradoxical Findings
Despite the growing importance of care economy careers (e.g., healthcare and education), men remain underrepresented in these fields. Past research suggests that, while economically developed nations tend to support equal rights for men and women, their labor markets tend to be highly gender-segregated (Charles 1992; 2003). By examining this paradoxical pattern in the care economy, we asked whether menâs lower interest in care economy careers is more pronounced in highly economically developed countries (vs. equally evident across countries), and if so, what psychological and cultural factors underlie these patterns? We examined these questions with actual labor data from 70 nations (Study 1) and a unique pre-registered study of career interest among 19,240 university students from 49 nations (Study 2). Although highly economically developed countries tend to promote some forms of gender equality (GGGI, 2017), the gender gap in care economy representation (Study 1) and interest (Study 2) is especially large in such countries. Results from Study 2 suggested that gender differences in values underlie this pattern. Specifically, menâs relatively lower communal values (e.g., valuing helping and caring for others) in highly economically developed countries predicted the larger gender differences in care economy interest in these countries. In addition, cross-national variation in gender differences in care economy interest was better explained by country-level variation in economic development and individualism than by self-expression values or general gender equality. Counter to prior findings, we did not observe parallel paradoxical patterns for STEM representation or interest
Did Descriptive and Prescriptive Norms About Gender Equality at Home Change During the COVID-19 Pandemic? A Cross-National Investigation
Using data from 15 countries, this article investigates whether descriptive and prescriptive gender norms concerning housework and child care (domestic work) changed after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Results of a total of 8,343 participants ( M = 19.95, SD = 1.68) from two comparable student samples suggest that descriptive norms about unpaid domestic work have been affected by the pandemic, with individuals seeing mothersâ relative to fathersâ share of housework and child care as even larger. Moderation analyses revealed that the effect of the pandemic on descriptive norms about child care decreased with countriesâ increasing levels of gender equality; countries with stronger gender inequality showed a larger difference between pre- and post-pandemic. This study documents a shift in descriptive norms and discusses implications for gender equalityâemphasizing the importance of addressing the additional challenges that mothers face during health-related crises.</p