Not all powerful people are created equal: An examination of gender and pathways to social hierarchy through the lens of social cognition

Abstract

Across four studies (N = 816 U.S. adults), we uncover a gender stereotype about dual pathways to social hierarchy: men are associated with power and women are associated with status. We detect this pattern both explicitly and implicitly in perceptions of individuals drawn from Forbes’ powerful people lists in undergraduate and online samples. We examine social cognitive implications, including prominent people’s degree of recognition by individuals and society, and the formation of men’s and women’s self-concepts. We find that power (status) ratings predict greater recognition of men (women) and lesser recognition of women (men). In terms of the self-concept, we find that women internalize the stereotype associating women with status more than power, implicitly and explicitly. While men explicitly report having less status and more power than women, men implicitly associate the self with status as much as power. No gender differences emerged in the desires for power and status. Accepted at Psychological Science.