Gender Subgroups and Intergroup Perception: Adolescents' Views of Own-Gender and Other-Gender Groups

Abstract

The authors examined intergroup bias and perceived group variability regarding gender subgroups relevant to the adolescent culture. Participants were 126 high school students, between 16 years and 19 years of age, who listed male and female subgroups, performed a series of group perception tasks, and, for each subgroup, indicated whether they themselves belonged to the group. Results showed that adolescents' perceptions of gender subgroups were subject to in-group favoritism and out-group derogation, as well as to group homogeneity effects. In line with predictions derived from Optimal Distinctiveness Theory, male and female participants favored in-groups over own-gender and other-gender out-groups and favored other-gender out-groups over own-gender outgroups. Ambivalence was particularly high with other-gender out-groups. The authors discussed implications for future research on the development of gender prejudice and for interventions to reduce prejudice.

When Contact Correlates with Prejudice: Adolescents’ Romantic Relationship Experience Predicts Greater Benevolent Sexism in Boys and Hostile Sexism in Girls

“…We assume that as adolescents show increased desire for and experience with heterosexual intimate relationships, they increasingly acknowledge that members of the other gender can or do fulfil important needs. Thus, the move from childhood gender segregation to adolescent gender integration ought to push adolescents toward embracing less uniformly hostile attitudes toward the other gender (Eckes et al 2005;Glick and Hilt 2000).…”

Gender Subgroup Self-Categorization and Gender Role Self-Concept

“…General evidence from other research suggests that subgroups of an ingroup are cognitively more salient than subgroups of an outgroup (Richards and Hewstone 2001). Furthermore, studies revealed that people indicated their belongingness to self-generated gender sub-groups and described the subgroups they belonged to more favorably than the subgroups they did not belong to (Eckes et al 2005;Vonk and Olde-Monnikhof 1998). Consequently, we assumed that subgroups of an ingroup are relevant for self-definition.…”

Mathematically gifted adolescent females’ mixed sentiment toward gender stereotypes

“…As a nice complement to social identity theory, self-categorization theory suggests that as social identity becomes salient, individuals are inclined to see themselves less as idiosyncratic individuals and more as interchangeable exemplars of a social category (Turner et al 1987). In self-categorization individuals experience a perception of increased similarity between self and other in-group members and enhanced difference between in-group members and out-group members (Eckes et al 2005). Another process, called self-stereotyping, also arises, which leads individuals to integrate group stereotypes into their self-concept and use stereotypic traits for self-description (Athenstaedt et al 2008;Oswald and Lindstedt 2006;Sinclair et al 2006).…”

“…To maintain a positive self-concept, individuals are predisposed to display favoritism to their own membership groups (in-groups) but have negative views on non-memberships groups (out-groups; Tajfel 1970Tajfel , 1974. In-group favoritism and out-group derogation usually go hand in hand (Eckes et al 2005). As a nice complement to social identity theory, self-categorization theory suggests that as social identity becomes salient, individuals are inclined to see themselves less as idiosyncratic individuals and more as interchangeable exemplars of a social category (Turner et al 1987).…”

“…Adolescents suffer from aggravated pressure to fulfill the gender role prescribed by society. Moreover, the emergence of heterosexual attraction significantly affects the nature of their male/female relationships (Eckes et al 2005). Therefore, adolescence is highly relevant to an investigation in perceived gender stereotypes.…”