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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 28, 2026

Continuous Theta Burst Stimulation of the Posterior Medial Frontal Cortex to Experimentally Reduce Ideological Threat Responses
06:42

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Published on: September 28, 2018

Gender conflict and worldview defence.

Immo Fritsche1, Eva Jonas

  • 1Department of Social Psychology, Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena, Germany. immo.fritsche@uni-jena.de

The British Journal of Social Psychology
|December 22, 2005
PubMed
Summary

Mortality salience (MS) impacts gender attitudes. Men showed decreased pro-women attitudes, while women displayed increased positive views toward women

Area of Science:

  • Social Psychology
  • Gender Studies
  • Terror Management Theory

Background:

  • Social identity theory and terror management theory offer frameworks for understanding intergroup conflict, particularly concerning gender dynamics.
  • Previous research suggests that existential concerns can influence social attitudes and intergroup biases.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the effect of mortality salience (MS) on gender attitudes, specifically pro-women sentiments.
  • To test the hypothesis that MS would intensify pro-women attitudes in women and decrease them in men.

Main Methods:

  • University students (32 women, 24 men) were subjected to either a mortality salience (MS) or a control manipulation.
  • Participants then evaluated fictitious psychology courses designed to promote women.

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  • Attitudes towards these courses were measured to assess gender-specific responses to MS.

    • Main Results:

    • A significant interaction between sex and MS was observed, indicating differential effects based on gender.
    • Men exposed to MS exhibited more negative evaluations of pro-women courses compared to the control group.
    • Women exposed to MS showed more positive evaluations of pro-women courses than the control group.

    Conclusions:

    • Mortality salience significantly influences gendered perceptions of gender-related initiatives.
    • The findings support the integration of social identity and terror management theories in explaining gender conflict.
    • Results highlight the potential for existential threat to exacerbate or mitigate gender-based attitudes.