Download Cultural stereotypical

Stereotype
• Definitions:
• a simple idea that has special meaning about a
group of people (not an archetype which is model
or ideal from which duplicates are made)
• Labels—what’s in a name?
• Beliefs that group members possess some
characteristic (not an attitude which has a positive
or negative evaluation)
• Can be positive or negative
• Living organisms, subject to laws of cultural
evolution
Typical Female Stereotypes
• Common everyday stereotypes about
females—list—Pretty? Drawing exercise
results
• Cultural female stereotypical examples
found in television, films, ads—examples?
• Fact vs. fiction—real women from created
women
• Generational changes in stereotypes?
Typical Male Stereotypes
• Common everyday stereotypes about
males—Bully?
• Cultural stereotypical representations of
males
• Fact vs. fiction
• Generational change
Implicit stereotypes and attitudes
• Implicit stereotype is a stereotype that is powerful
enough to operate without conscious control
• Implicit attitude is an attitude that can rub off on
associated objects—powerful attitudes sometimes
hidden from public view and conscious awareness
• Results of www.implicit.harvard.edu--work of
social psychologists Greenwald, Banaji et al.
Stereotype Threat
• Definitions--Stereotypes lead to social
stigmas which targeted groups internalize
and affects group member performance; a
situational phenomenon that occurs when
targets of stereotypes alleging intellectual
inferiority are reminded of the possibility of
confirming these stereotypes (Aronson et al
1999)
Female Example
• Example “When women perform math,
unlike men, they risk being judged by the
negative stereotype that women have
weaker math ability” (Spencer 1999)
• Why Females Are Susceptible to
Experiencing Problem-Solving Deficits in
the Presence of Males (Inzlicht & Ben-Zeev
2000)
Male Example
• Example “When White Men Can’t Do Math”
(Aronson et al 2002): 1). stereotype threat
requires neither a history of stigmatization nor
internalized feelings of intellectual inferiority but
can arise and become disruptive from situational
pressures; 2). Stereotype threat is mediated by
domain identification and most likely to
undermine performance of individuals identified
with domain
Beliefs, attitudes, behavior
• Sociology defines prejudice as an attitude
that predisposes an individual to prejudge
entire categories of people unfairly.
• Sociology defines discrimination as the
unfair and harmful treatment of people
based on their group membership
• Distinguishing beliefs from behaviors—
cycle?
Sex Discrimination
• Defined as the unequal and harmful
treatment of people because of their sex
Sex Discrimination Typology
• Blatant sex discrimination refers to unequal and
harmful treatment of a person based on their sex
that is intentional, visible, and can be easily
documented (examples: sex harassment, physical
violence, unequal treatment on job)
• Subtle sex discrimination as unequal and harmful
treatment that is typically less visible and obvious
than blatant
• Covert sex discrimination is unequal and harmful
treatment that is hidden, purposeful, maliciously
motivated—manipulation and sabotage
(Benokraitus 1997)
Subtle Sexism
• Can be intentional or unintentional
• Is visible but goes unnoticed because it is
built into social norms, values and ideas
• Is communicated verbally, behaviorally
• Usually informal rather than formal
• Most visible on individual rather than
organizational level (Benokraitis and Feagin
1995)
Social outcomes of stereotypes
• Consider social outcomes of use of
stereotypes
• How do stereotypes lead to sexism?
• Is sexism always bad? Eye of beholder
problem? (Benokraitus, Subtle Sexism, p.
11)
References
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Kristi Lemm and Mahzarin R. Banaji (1999) “Unconscious Attitudes and Beliefs About
Women and Men.” in U. Pasero and F. Braun eds., Wahrnehmung und Herstellung von
Geschlecht (Perceiving and Performing Gender) Opladen: Westdutscher Verlag.
Brian A. Nosek, Mahzarin R. Banaji, Anthony G. Greenwald (2002) “Math=Male,
Me=Female, Therefore Math / Me” Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 83, 1:
44-59.
Steven J. Spencer, Claude M. Steele, Diane M. Quinn. (1999) “Stereotype Threat and
Women’s Math Performance,” Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 35, 1: 4-28.
Michael Inzlicht and Talia Ben-Zeev (2000) “A Threatening Intellectual Environment:
Why Females are Susceptible to Experiencing Problem-Solving Deficits in the Presence
of Males,” Psychological Science 11, 5: 365-371.
Joshua Aronson, Michael J Lustina, Catherine Good, Kelli Keough, Claude M. Steele,
and Joseph Brown, (1999) “When White Men Can’t Do Math: Necessary and Sufficient
Factors in Stereotype Threat, Journal of Experimental Social Psychology 35, 1: 29-46.
Nijole V. Benokraitis, (1997) Subtle Sexism. Thousand Oaks: Sage.
Elizabeth H. Gorman (2005) “Gender Stereotypes, Same-Gender Preferences, and
Organizational Variation in the Hiring of Women: Evidence from Law Firms,” American
Sociological Review, 70: 702-728.