Complementary gender stereotypes and system justification: the moderating role of essentialist lay theories for group differences

• Autores: Tilemachos Iatridis, Nektaria Stergiou
• Localización: International Journal of Social Psychology, Revista de Psicología Social, ISSN-e 1579-3680, ISSN 0213-4748, Vol. 31, Nº 1, 2016, págs. 29-58
• Idioma: inglés
• DOI: 10.1080/02134748.2015.1101312
• Texto completo no disponible (Saber más ...)
• Resumen
  • español

    Investigaciones anteriores han demostrado que los estereotipos complementarios para hombres y mujeres se utilizan para justificar la división de trabajos en función del género en la sociedad. Este artículo se centra en las teorías populares esencialistas que explican el origen de las diferencias grupales (es decir, la creencia en el determinismo genético frente al determinismo social) que podrían mediar el efecto justificativo de los estereotipos complementarios de género. Presentamos los datos obtenidos en un estudio experimental realizado en Grecia en el que se estudian las teorías basadas en el determinismo genético y el determinismo social sobre las diferencias grupales, así como las explicaciones complementarias y no complementarias de las diferencias de género. En los resultados obtenidos, las explicaciones complementarias del género incrementaban las respuestas justificativas de los participantes solo cuando se enfatizaba un contexto determinístico genético. Por el contrario, el contexto determinístico social parecía amortiguar la función justificativa de las explicaciones complementarias del género. Estos resultados contribuyen a la bibliografía sobre los efectos justificativos de los estereotipos complementarios y sobre el esencialismo, y ponen de relieve la importancia del contexto histórico en el que se enmarcan determinadas ideologías y teorías populares sobre las diferencias intergrupales

  • English

    Past research has established that complementary stereotypes of men and women serve to justify the gendered division of labour as well as the division of labour in society at large. This paper is concerned with the essentialist lay theories for the origin of group differences (i.e. belief in genetic determinism vs. belief in social determinism) which may moderate the justificatory effect of complementary gender stereotypes. We present data from an experimental study conducted in Greece, in which genetic vs. social deterministic lay theories for group differences and complementary vs. non-complementary accounts of gender differences were crossed. In these data, complementary accounts of gender increased participants� justificatory responses only when a genetic deterministic context was made salient; on the contrary, the social deterministic context appeared to buffer the justificatory function of complementary accounts of gender. The results extend the literatures on the justificatory effects of complementary stereotypes as well as on essentialism, and point to the importance of the historical context in which particular ideas and lay theories for intergroup differences are embedded

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