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Gender inequality and gender differences in authoritarianism.
1DePaul University, Chicago, IL, USA. mark.brandt05@gmail.com
Personality & Social Psychology Bulletin
|June 27, 2012
Summary
Authoritarianism may serve as a defense against psychological threats. Women in gender-unequal societies show higher authoritarianism, especially in individualistic cultures, due to heightened stigma.
Area of Science:
- Social Psychology
- Cross-Cultural Psychology
- Political Psychology
Background:
- Authoritarianism is theorized as a psychological defense mechanism against threats.
- Previous research suggests authoritarianism helps manage threats like rejection and stigma.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if authoritarianism is more prevalent in women in societies with high gender inequality.
- To examine the relationship between gender inequality, stigma, and authoritarianism endorsement across cultures.
Main Methods:
- Study 1 established authoritarianism as a response to rejection and stigma.
- Study 2 utilized multilevel modeling on data from 54 societies to compare authoritarianism endorsement between genders.
- Cross-cultural data analysis was employed to explore societal influences.
Main Results:
- Authoritarianism was confirmed as partly a response to rejection, a stigma-related threat.
- Women endorsed authoritarian values more than men across societies.
- This gender difference was particularly pronounced in individualistic societies with high gender inequality.
Conclusions:
- Psychological threats associated with stigma are not uniform across cultures for women.
- The degree of cultural stigma is linked to the endorsement of psychologically protective attitudes like authoritarianism.
- Societal gender inequality shapes the prevalence and expression of authoritarianism, particularly for women.
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