Exploring the Consequences of Gender Ideology–Work Discrepancies

Abstract

Using survey data from married and cohabiting adults in the midwestern U.S. (N=257), I examine the way gender ideology-work discrepancies relate to distress and self-meanings. Among women, discrepancies are unrelated to distress and negatively related to feelings of power and activity as a wife and mother, results consistent with selfconsistency theory. Among men, discrepancies are negatively related to distress and positively related to feelings of goodness, power, and activity in several roles, results consistent with compensatory self-enhancement theories. The results suggest that men experience discrepancies as self-image threats to which they respond by inflating their self-evaluation, self-power, and self-activity, whereas women experience discrepancies as stressors that reduce feelings of power and activity.

The importance of childhood and adulthood aspects of gendered life for adult mental ill-health symptoms – a 27-year follow-up of the Northern Swedish Cohort

“…These findings comprise the different “standards” that women and men have regarding gender equality, which has been reported in earlier studies [30,34]. The large variances on average, from 19.7% reporting a traditional partnership to 60.6% reporting traditional early childcare, also confirm that steps towards gender equality vary with the gendered aspect measured [14].…”

“…However, this is not probable; i.e. it seems reasonable to assume that women’s and men’s perceptions of gendered life are in fact inconsistent [30,34]. On objective grounds, this represents a fault (the reports on nothing, less, most, and all could in principle be empirically tested); on subjective grounds, this is correct (as long as the gender system exists, women and men will have different views and experiences of it) [7].…”

“…This also helps to explain why supporting a gender-equal society in general may differ from actually practising gender-equal relations at work, in the family, and during spare time. In other words, embracing a gender-equal ideology but continuing a gender-unequal practice may be less detrimental for mental health than a solid gender-equal life [30]. Yet, the number of reasonably gender-equal partnerships and contexts is increasing [31,32].…”

“…The theories of benefits from expanding one’s life with additional roles [16], of damaging stress from adding too many roles [35], and of gender ideology versus practice [30] could be referred to role theory. Generally, this explains human activity in terms of expectations held by the individual and/or other people [36].…”

Could gender equality in parental leave harm off-springs' mental health? a registry study of the Swedish parental/child cohort of 1988/89

“…That is, discrepancies between the gender ideals adopted from childhood and the surrounding, and actual gender practices, may risk confusion and conflict, and hence poor mental health for both sexes [16]. This idea that acting according to gender ideals is necessarily beneficial, was later challenged by the proposal that androgyny is the best position in terms of health [12].…”