Using Beauty as Currency: Role of Gender Earnings Inequality on Women's Self-Objectification

This research investigates how gender earnings inequality influences women's self-objectification and explores the mediating role of status anxiety. Across three studies with Chinese women, we tested the hypothesis that perceived earnings inequality heightens status anxiety, which in turn promotes self-objectification. In Study 1, survey data revealed a positive correlation between perceived gender earnings inequality and self-objectification. Study 2 employed an experimental design to manipulate gender earnings inequality and demonstrated that the effect of gender earnings inequality on self-objectification was mediated by increased status anxiety. In Study 3, we experimentally reduced status anxiety and found that doing so attenuated the impact of perceived gender earnings inequality on self-objectification. Across all studies, the effects were modest but consistent. These findings contribute to objectification theory by identifying status anxiety as a psychological mechanism linking structural gender inequality to women's self-objectification. Moreover, the results underscore the importance of addressing status-based concerns to mitigate the psychological consequences of gendered economic disparities.