Identidad social de génerosu distribución social e influencia en el juicio

Abstract

Two studies focused on the relationships between the social distribution of roles and gender social identities are presented. We assumed at our starting point that traditional stereotypes of masculinity and feminity, as well as gender identities, the latter through processes of self- and hetero-categorization, stem from the distribution of roles imposed on the basis of sex belongingness. Based on the traditional distribution of roles, women have been induced to assumed their duties within family (even the professions typed as feminine could be seen as prolongation of women's responsibilities away from family) whereas men have been induced to assume the responsibility of more "achievement-oriented" activities. The perceived correlation between gender membership and certain domains of activity has led people to infer associations between traits of personality and those behaviours displayed in the fulfilment of social roles. The distribution of gender identities across several age groups are analysed in the first correlational study. The main results showed that the traditional distributions of identities across sex groups (women-feminine identity and menmasculine identity) are less established in younger groups. The second experimental study analysed the influence exerted by the categorisation of the target in gender terms (man vs. woman) as well as by the typification of the activity as traditionally masculine vs. feminine both on the perception of a target and on the explanations of his/her success or failure.