Gender Roles and NonVerbal Communication

1
Gender Roles and Non-Verbal Communication
2
Gender Roles
I. Gender role stereotypes A. Bem Bem The
power of a non-conscious ideology B.
Goldberg Gender and the perceived quality of
work C. Broverman Mental health stereotypes
of women D. Brown Geis--Assertiveness in
women devalued II. Gender roles and
self-presentation A. Zanna Pack--Gender
roles learned modifiable III. Bem
Gender-stereotyped behavior/Androgeny
3
Gender Roles
I. Gender role stereotypes A. Bem Bem The
power of a non-conscious ideology B.
Goldberg Gender and the perceived quality of
work C. Broverman Mental health stereotypes
of women D. Brown Geis--Assertiveness in
women devalued II. Gender roles and
self-presentation A. Zanna Pack--Gender
roles learned modifiable III. Bem
Gender-stereotyped behavior/Androgeny
4
Continuing Gender Stereotypes
Boston Globe 3/21/97
5
Boston Globe, March 23, 2000
6
Gender Roles
I. Gender role stereotypes A. Bem Bem The
power of a non-conscious ideology B.
Goldberg Gender and the perceived quality of
work C. Broverman Mental health stereotypes
of women D. Brown Geis--Assertiveness in
women devalued II. Gender roles and
self-presentation A. Zanna Pack--Gender
roles learned modifiable III. Bem
Gender-stereotyped behavior/Androgeny
7
Goldberg (1968)

• An article was given to subjects to evaluate
• Topics included both stereotypically male
  professions (architecture/law) and
  stereotypically female professions (dietetics)
• IV articles were attributed (authored by)
• John McKay
• Joan McKay
• Professional quality judged lower (regardless of
  sex of rater or job content) if subjects thought
  a female wrote it

8
Gender Roles
I. Gender role stereotypes A. Bem Bem The
power of a non-conscious ideology B.
Goldberg Gender and the perceived quality of
work C. Broverman Mental health stereotypes
of women D. Brown Geis--Assertiveness in
women devalued II. Gender roles and
self-presentation A. Zanna Pack--Gender
roles learned modifiable III. Bem
Gender-stereotyped behavior/Androgeny
9
Broverman (1970)

• Women perceived as healthier if
• more submissive
• less independent, less adventurous
• more easily influenced
• less aggressive, less competitive
• more excitable in minor crises
• more susceptible to hurt feelings less objective
• Same description used to classify unhealthy man
  or immature adult

10
Gender Roles
I. Gender role stereotypes A. Bem Bem The
power of a non-conscious ideology B.
Goldberg Gender and the perceived quality of
work C. Broverman Mental health stereotypes
of women D. Brown Geis--Assertiveness in
women devalued II. Gender roles and
self-presentation A. Zanna Pack--Gender
roles learned modifiable III. Bem
Gender-stereotyped behavior/Androgeny
11
Brown Geis (1984)

• 5 Graduate students in group discussion
• Leader appointed by professor
• I.V.s
• Authority legitimated (Prof. expressed confidence
  or not)
• Group non-verbal approval
• Gender of leader
• D.V. raters evaluations of leaders

12
Brown Geis (1984)

• Results
• Woman leader seen as cold, insensitive,
  dominating
• Script had equal male/female contributions
  nevertheless, subjects judged male group leaders
  as more valuable
• NVB non-verbal support/disapproval significantly
  affected ratings of leadership value

13
Gender Roles
I. Gender role stereotypes A. Bem Bem The
power of a non-conscious ideology B.
Goldberg Gender and the perceived quality of
work C. Broverman Mental health stereotypes
of women D. Brown Geis--Assertiveness in
women devalued II. Gender roles and
self-presentation A. Zanna Pack--Gender
roles learned modifiable III. Bem
Gender-stereotyped behavior/Androgeny
14
Zanna Pack (1975)

• Self-presentational view
• People conform to traditional sex-role
  stereotypes because attractive others approve of
  such conformity
• D.V. female undergraduates describe themsleves
  on a questionnaire prior to meeting

15
Zanna Pack

• I.V.s
• Desirability of Male (highly desirable or less
  desirable)
• Attitude of Male (Traditional or Reverse)
• Results
• Desirable partner subjects presentation
  conformed to his ideal
• Less desirable no effect

16
Gender Roles
I. Gender role stereotypes A. Bem Bem The
power of a non-conscious ideology B.
Goldberg Gender and the perceived quality of
work C. Broverman Mental health stereotypes
of women D. Brown Geis--Assertiveness in
women devalued II. Gender roles and
self-presentation A. Zanna Pack--Gender
roles learned modifiable III. Bem Consequences
of strongly gender-stereotyped identity
vs.androgeny
17
Sandra Bem

• Differentiated Sex-typed from Androgenous
  individuals with BSRI (Bem Sex Role Inventory)
• Original experiment

MALES FEMALES
Sex-typed Androgenous
Sex-typed Androgenous
Playing with kitten (nurturance) Showing independ
ence
Playing with kitten (nurturance) Showing independ
ence
Low
High
Low
High
TASK
Low
High
High
High
18
Bem Sex Role Inventory

• Androgenous individuals
• Higher marital and life satisfaction
• More positive attitude toward sexuality than
  sex-typed individuals (Walfish Myerson)
• Androgenous males
• More likely to be complimentary than sex-typed
  males (Kelly et al, 1981)
• Androgenous females
• Better at sayimg no to unreasonable requests
  (Kelly et al, 1981)
• Report more orgasms than feminine women (Radlove,
  1983)

19
Gender roles, abuse, and perpetration (Lisak,
Hopper Song, 1996)

• Studied men who reported being physically or
  sexually abused as children
• Some of these men became perpetrators themselves
  as adults others did not
• Those abused men who became perpetrators scored
  significantly lower in feminine characteristics
  on the BSRI than did men who did not become
  perpetrators

20
Non-Verbal Communication
I. Spacial behavior A. Edward
Hall--Proximics The Hidden Dimension 1. Levels
of closeness intimate, personal, social, public
B. Robert Sommer--Personal Space 1.
Territoriality boundary markers II. Gender
roles and non-verbal behavior A. Nancy
Henley--Body Politics B. Abbey--Friendliness
misperceived III. Non-verbal behavior and the
self-fulfilling prophecy A. Word, Zanna,
Cooper--effects of non-verbal stigmatizing and
synchronicity
21
Non-Verbal Communication
I. Spacial behavior A. Edward
Hall--Proximics The Hidden Dimension 1. Levels
of closeness intimate, personal, social, public
B. Robert Sommer--Personal Space 1.
Territoriality boundary markers II. Sex roles
and non-verbal behavior A. Nancy
Henley--Body Politics B. Abbey--Friendliness
misperceived III. Non-verbal behavior and the
self-fulfilling prophecy A. Word, Zanna,
Cooper--effects of non-verbal stigmatizing and
synchronicity
22
Levels of Closeness (Hall)

• Different spacing between people appropriate in
  different situations culturally defined
• Intimate touching
• Personal 1-2 feet
• Social 3-7 feet
• Public 8-25 feet or more

23
Non-Verbal Communication
I. Spacial behavior A. Edward
Hall--Proximics The Hidden Dimension 1. Levels
of closeness intimate, personal, social, public
B. Robert Sommer--Personal Space 1.
Territoriality boundary markers II. Sex roles
and non-verbal behavior A. Nancy
Henley--Body Politics B. Abbey--Friendliness
misperceived III. Non-verbal behavior and the
self-fulfilling prophecy A. Word, Zanna,
Cooper--effects of non-verbal stigmatizing and
synchronicity
24
Territoriality
Control Table Experimental Table
25
Territoriality
Added boundary marker at one chair
Control Table Experimental Table
26
Territoriality
Added boundary marker at one chair
Control Table Experimental Table
RESULTS in 41 sessions, control table occupied
first in only 3 sessions was experimental
chair occupied at all
27
Non-Verbal Communication
I. Spacial behavior A. Edward
Hall--Proximics The Hidden Dimension 1. Levels
of closeness intimate, personal, social, public
B. Robert Sommer--Personal Space 1.
Territoriality boundary markers II. Sex roles
and non-verbal behavior A. Nancy
Henley--Body Politics B. Abbey--Friendliness
misperceived III. Non-verbal behavior and the
self-fulfilling prophecy A. Word, Zanna,
Cooper--effects of non-verbal stigmatizing and
synchronicity
28
Henley--Body Politics

• Gender differences in non-verbal behavior (e.g.,
  male bosses touch female secretaries more than
  vice-versa)
• Is it because male? or because the boss?
• Must examine other sources of power, e.g.,
  teacher/student master/servant doctor/patient
  foreman/worker
• In each case, higher power person touches more
  than lower power person

29
Henley

• Same effects found in other non-verbal areas
• Use of space
• Amount of speaking
• Eye contact

30
Non-Verbal Communication
I. Spacial behavior A. Edward
Hall--Proximics The Hidden Dimension 1. Levels
of closeness intimate, personal, social, public
B. Robert Sommer--Personal Space 1.
Territoriality boundary markers II. Sex roles
and non-verbal behavior A. Nancy
Henley--Body Politics B. Abbey--Friendliness
misperceived III. Non-verbal behavior and the
self-fulfilling prophecy A. Word, Zanna,
Cooper--effects of non-verbal stigmatizing and
synchronicity
31
Abbey (1982)

• Gender differences in perceptions of female
  friendliness
• A male and a female student interacted for 5
  minutes
• Hidden male and female observers watched
  interaction
• RESULTS male actor and observer rated female
  actor significantly higher on traits of seductive
  and promiscuous than did either female observer
  or actor

32
Non-Verbal Communication
I. Spacial behavior A. Edward
Hall--Proximics The Hidden Dimension 1. Levels
of closeness intimate, personal, social, public
B. Robert Sommer--Personal Space 1.
Territoriality boundary markers II. Sex roles
and non-verbal behavior A. Nancy
Henley--Body Politics B. Abbey--Friendliness
misperceived III. Non-verbal behavior and the
self-fulfilling prophecy A. Word, Zanna,
Cooper--effects of non-verbal stigmatizing and
synchronicity
33
Word, Zanna, and Cooper--Experiment 1

• Subjects white males serving as interviewers
• IV Black or white male (conf) being interviewed
• DV Non-verbal behavior
• Distance of chair
• Ended interview sooner
• Lower immediacy (forward lean, eye contact,
  shoulder orientation, fewer speech errors)

34
Word, Zanna, and Cooper--Experiment 2

• Subjects white males, applicants
• IV interviewers trained to perform either
• Low immediacy or high immediacy behaviors
• DV subjects reactions
• Reciprocated degree of immediacy
• Observers rated subjects performance (filmed)
• Low immediacy subjects seen as showing
• less adequate performance
• less composure

35
Conclusions

• Goffmans work people manage self-presentation
  according to roles
• Example of gender roles expectations of
  submissiveness and low quality performance
• Gender role self-presentation managed
• Non-verbal channel plays role in maintaining or
  exhibiting power
• Expectations expressed non-verbally can play an
  important role in creating self-fulfilling
  prophecy