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Subliminal Gender Stereotypes: Who Can Resist?
Jolien A van Breen1, Russell Spears2, Toon Kuppens2
11 University of Exeter, United Kingdom.
Personality & Social Psychology Bulletin
|May 22, 2018
Summary
Subliminal gender stereotypes can provoke resistance, not just acceptance, in women. This resistance, particularly among feminist-identified women, manifests as persistence in masculine tasks and in-group bias, indicating resilience in devalued groups.
Area of Science:
- Social Psychology
- Gender Studies
- Cognitive Science
Background:
- Subliminal exposure to social stereotypes typically leads to acceptance and assimilation.
- Limited research exists on how women respond to subliminal gender stereotypes outside conscious awareness.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate whether subliminal gender stereotypes trigger resistance in women.
- To identify factors moderating this resistance, specifically feminist identification.
Main Methods:
- Experimental manipulation of subliminal gender stereotype exposure (stereotypes vs. counter-stereotypes).
- Assessment of task persistence in a stereotypically masculine domain (math task).
- Evaluation of moral decision-making (Moral Choice Dilemma) and implicit in-group bias (evaluative priming task).
Main Results:
- Subliminal stereotypes increased persistence in a math task for women with strong feminist identification.
- These women showed increased willingness to sacrifice men in a moral dilemma.
- Implicit in-group bias was observed in women with strong feminist identification following stereotype exposure.
Conclusions:
- Subliminal gender stereotypes can elicit resistance, particularly in women strongly identified with feminism.
- Resistance manifests as enhanced performance in masculine domains and in-group favoritism.
- Findings suggest greater resilience among members of devalued groups than previously assumed.
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