Premium
The Personal and Social Correlates of a Gender Difference Ideology
Author(s) -
Lott Bernice
Publication year - 1997
Publication title -
journal of social issues
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.618
H-Index - 122
eISSN - 1540-4560
pISSN - 0022-4537
DOI - 10.1111/j.1540-4560.1997.tb02444.x
Subject(s) - ideology , social psychology , inequality , gender role , sociology , psychology , social life , gender studies , political science , social science , politics , law , mathematical analysis , mathematics
In our society, widely shared strong beliefs about differences between women and men in interests, competencies, and roles are ubiquitous. This paper explores the powerful, problematic and widespread influence of this gender difference ideology, and presents examples from areas of personal experience, family life, paid employment, and social interaction. It is proposed that the relationship between a gender ideology and social behavior is a complex one and that beliefs do not necessarily precede behavior. A final section presents challenges to a gender difference ideology and suggests that, because our construction of gender is inextricably tied to inequality, our study of gender must focus on the process and conditions that underlie the construction.