gender bias in employment contexts
Journal of Experimental Social Psychology 48 (2012) 86–96
Contents lists available at SciVerse ScienceDirect
Journal of Experimental Social Psychology j o u r n a l h o m e p a g e : w w w. e l s ev i e r. c o m / l o c a t e / j e s p
Gender bias in employment contexts: A closer examination of the role incongruity principle☆
Crystal L. Hoyt ⁎
Jepson School of Leadership Studies, University of Richmond, USA
a r t i c l e
i n f o
Article history:
Received 3 May 2011
Revised 8 August 2011
Available online 17 August 2011
Keywords:
Gender bias
Role incongruity
Employment discrimination
Political ideology
Traditional gender role
Caregiving
a b s t r a c t
This research extends the role incongruity analysis of employment-related gender bias by investigating the role of dispositional and situational antecedents, specifically political ideology and the salience of cues to the traditional female gender role. The prediction that conservatives would show an anti-female candidate bias and liberals would show a pro-female bias when the traditional female gender role is salient was tested across three experimental studies. In Study 1, 126 participants evaluated a male or a female job applicant with thoughts of the traditional female gender role activated or not. Results showed that when the gender role is salient, political ideology moderates evaluations of the female candidates such that conservatives evaluate her negatively and liberals evaluate her positively. Study 2 (89 participants) replicated this effect and showed that this political ideology-based bias does not occur when the non-traditional female gender role is made salient.
Study 2 also demonstrated that the observed effects are not driven by liberals' and conservatives' differing perceptions regarding the female applicant's qualifications for the job. Finally, Study 3 (159 participants) both replicated the political ideology-based evaluation bias for female candidates and
Contents lists available at SciVerse ScienceDirect
Journal of Experimental Social Psychology j o u r n a l h o m e p a g e : w w w. e l s ev i e r. c o m / l o c a t e / j e s p
Gender bias in employment contexts: A closer examination of the role incongruity principle☆
Crystal L. Hoyt ⁎
Jepson School of Leadership Studies, University of Richmond, USA
a r t i c l e
i n f o
Article history:
Received 3 May 2011
Revised 8 August 2011
Available online 17 August 2011
Keywords:
Gender bias
Role incongruity
Employment discrimination
Political ideology
Traditional gender role
Caregiving
a b s t r a c t
This research extends the role incongruity analysis of employment-related gender bias by investigating the role of dispositional and situational antecedents, specifically political ideology and the salience of cues to the traditional female gender role. The prediction that conservatives would show an anti-female candidate bias and liberals would show a pro-female bias when the traditional female gender role is salient was tested across three experimental studies. In Study 1, 126 participants evaluated a male or a female job applicant with thoughts of the traditional female gender role activated or not. Results showed that when the gender role is salient, political ideology moderates evaluations of the female candidates such that conservatives evaluate her negatively and liberals evaluate her positively. Study 2 (89 participants) replicated this effect and showed that this political ideology-based bias does not occur when the non-traditional female gender role is made salient.
Study 2 also demonstrated that the observed effects are not driven by liberals' and conservatives' differing perceptions regarding the female applicant's qualifications for the job. Finally, Study 3 (159 participants) both replicated the political ideology-based evaluation bias for female candidates and