Towards the reduction of sex-based stereotypes

Abstract

With more females entering the workforce (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 1998), it has become of increasing importance to reduce the negative effects that sex-based stereotyping can engender. The current experiment investigates if mutual interdependence can result in a greater perception of a female partner's competence and a reduction of hostility towards women in general. Male participants worked either interdependently or independently with a female partner. Dyads were then separated and males completed a series of dependent measures prone to capture ratings of their female partner's competence and hostility and benevolence towards women in general. A marginally statistically significant effect was found supporting our primary hypothesis, that males in the mutual interdependence condition reported a greater competence rating for their specific female partner. There were no statistically significant effects found for our exploratory hypothesis that this previous effect would generalize to women in general. Past research on the reduction of race-based stereotypes, reduction of hostility between groups, and individuating processes, has suggested that mutual interdependence and positive task success between members of opposing groups attenuates hostility and stereotyping for a specific partner or group. These findings are replicated by this research.