Gender at Work Across Nations: Men and Women Working in Male‐Dominated and Female‐Dominated Occupations are Differentially Associated with Agency and Communion

Abstract

Occupational gender segregation is a worldwide phenomenon. Research from Western regions such as the United States and Europe shows that the observation of occupational gender segregation can perpetuate gender stereotypes (social role theory; men are ascribed agentic traits, whereas women are ascribed communal traits). However, predictions from social role theory have not been well-tested in non-Western nations. In a study with 1,918 participants from 10 nations systematically differing in gender inequality, we investigated the extent to which target men and women in gender-segregated occupations are associated with stereotype-relevant traits. Results showed that 12 preselected occupations were perceived as gender-segregated in all nations. In line with social role theory, across nations, target men and women in male-dominated occupations were

Does she compensate the victim while he punishes the perpetrator? No gender differences in anonymous economic games across 11 nations

“…On average, participants indicated that 68% (43%) of people working in agentic (communal) professions were men. However, as expected, we found that the perceived segregation of labor varied across countries, from M = 18.40 in Japan to M = 31.43 in Russia, which suggests that occupations had a more equal distribution of women and men in some countries than in others (for more details, see Froehlich, Olsson, Dorrough, & Martiny, 2020). To test H2, we aggregated the division of labor index at the country level.…”

“…On average, participants indicated that 68% (43%) of people working in agentic (communal) professions were men. However, as expected, we found F I G U R E 1 This figure presents an example illustration describing the punishment rule of the compensation/punishment game (i.e., if Player E transfers 10 Talers in the form of punishment to Player C, 30 Talers are deducted from Player C's account) that the perceived segregation of labor varied across countries, from M = 18.40 in Japan to M = 31.43 in Russia, which suggests that occupations had a more equal distribution of women and men in some countries than in others (for more details, seeFroehlich, Olsson, Dorrough, & Martiny, 2020). To test H2, we aggregated the division of labor index at the country level.…”

A school-based intervention to reduce gender-stereotyping

“…Such interventions are needed because gender segregation in occupational participation may be prevalent in more than just Western countries. Across 12 different countries, Froehlich et al. (2020) found gender segregation in occupations: Following stereotypes, individuals rated male targets in masculine-stereotyped occupations as more agentic than communal, whereas female targets were rated as more communal than agentic.…”

The Vicious Cycle Linking Stereotypes and Social Roles

“…Portraying a gay man in a highly male-dominated occupational role (truck driver) shifted his ascribed traits in a more masculine, less feminine direction compared with the traits ascribed to gay men in general and a gay man in a feminine role (hairdresser; Fingerhut & Peplau, 2006). In Froehlich et al’s (2020) 10-nation study, participants judged that persons in male-dominated occupations possess agentic traits (e.g., assertive, competitive) and that persons in female-dominated occupations possess communal traits (e.g., kind, warm), regardless of their sex. This primacy of role information also emerged in experiments in which participants were more influenced by individuals’ male- or female-dominated occupations than by pronouns that defined their sex (e.g., “he,” “his” or “she,” “hers”; Gustafsson Sendén et al, 2020).…”