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“Did You See What I Saw?” Gender Differences in Perceptions of Avenues to Prestige among Adolescents
Author(s) -
Suitor J. Jill,
Minyard Staci A.,
Carter Rebecca S.
Publication year - 2001
Publication title -
sociological inquiry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.446
H-Index - 51
eISSN - 1475-682X
pISSN - 0038-0245
DOI - 10.1111/j.1475-682x.2001.tb01125.x
Subject(s) - prestige , perception , context (archaeology) , social psychology , psychology , social status , gender studies , sociology , social science , paleontology , philosophy , linguistics , neuroscience , biology
We use data from 1,796 college students to explore gender differences in perceptions of avenues to prestige during adolescence. Students attending seven large universities during the 1997–98 academic year provided information on the ways in which adolescents in their high schools had gained prestige with peers. The analysis reveals substantial gender differences in perceptions regarding the most common avenues to prestige. Most important, men were less likely than women to report that female students in their high schools accrued prestige through sports and grades, and more likely than women to report that male students accrued prestige through engaging in deviant behaviors, such as sexual activity, drug and alcohol use, and fighting. We discuss the findings in the context of gender differences in social perception and gender‐role attitudes.