Children's Beliefs About Gender Differences in the Academic and Social Domains

Children's beliefs about gender differences were investigated among a sample of younger and older elementary school students (total N = 120). Beliefs about gender differences in math, spelling, physical aggression, relational aggression, and prosocial tendencies were assessed using 3 methods that varied in the extent to which gender was referenced overtly. Children who made systematic gender distinctions tended to associate prosocial tendencies and success in spelling with girls and physical and relational aggression with boys. Perceived gender differences were minimal for math, and those that were seen were consistent with same-sex biases. Children who associated positive characteristics with girls tended to associate negative characteristics with boys. Although results were generally consistent across measures, children were more likely to show same-sex preferences when they were asked to compare boys and girls explicitly.     

Age and gender differences in adolescent worry

The purpose of the present study was to explore gender and age differences in adolescent worry. High school students filled out measures of worry, negative problem orientation, intolerance of uncertainty, and general mental health. Girls and boys of different ages were then compared and the relationships between gender, beliefs about worry, intolerance of uncertainty, negative problem orientation and mental health were also examined. Boys reported greater negative problem orientation and intolerance of uncertainty while girls reported more positive beliefs about worry. Findings also revealed certain age trends, indicating that the variables under study may be under the influence of developmental tasks. Regression analysis was performed and positive beliefs about worry emerged as a significant predictor of worry in both sexes. Positive beliefs about worry and negative problem orientation appear to be the key processes in adolescent anxiety and depression.     

Church Attendance and Marital Commitment Beliefs of Undergraduate Women

Marital commitment between spouses has been found to be an important predictor of successful marriages. Beliefs about marital commitment among never-married young adults are of interest because of their probable influence on subsequent marital behaviors. The current study examined social-cognitive processes; specifically, religiousness, locus-of-control beliefs, and gender role attitudes, in the prediction of marital commitment beliefs among 294 undergraduate never-married women. We found that higher religiousness and lower chance locus of control were significantly correlated with stronger marital commitment beliefs. Multiple regression analyses revealed that religiousness was the best predictor of marital commitment beliefs in this sample. Social learning processes are implicated in the development of marital commitment beliefs. Implications and limitations of the study are discussed.     

Gender moderates the impact of need for structure on social beliefs: implications for ethnocentrism and authoritarianism

The present research examines the interplay between individual differences in need for structure, social beliefs, and gender. It is well documented that need for structure, that is, a preference for structure and simplicity in one's thinking, predicts authoritarianism and ethnocentrism. Further, women tend to score lower in authoritarianism and ethnocentrism than men. Although there seem to be no gender differences in need for structure, the present research hypothesizes that the association between need for structure and social beliefs is stronger for men than for women. This hypothesis comes from the observation that, all else being equal, men tend to think more about the domain of beliefs such as authoritarianism and ethnocentrism, which should strengthen the relationship between men's cognitive needs and their social beliefs. The hypothesis is also motivated by the finding that, more than men, women often give priority to caring and compassion when forming beliefs about outgroups. This should weaken the link between women's cognitive needs and their social beliefs. Three studies conducted in the USA (n = 398) and one study conducted in Germany (n = 112) examined whether gender moderated the influence of need for structure on authoritarianism and racism. Using a variety of measures, need for structure predicted authoritarianism and racism for men, but not for women. The discussion focuses on the implications of the present findings for the relationship between cognitive orientations and social beliefs. It is argued that research on cognitive orientation and social beliefs needs to take gender into account to improve its accuracy of prediction.     

儿童早期亲子间情绪谈话的影响因素

作为父母情绪社会化的一种重要途径,亲子间有关情绪的谈话对儿童个性和社会性的发展意义重大。研究发现,包括文化、种族、社会经济地位在内的外部社会环境,儿童的年龄、性别和依恋等特点,以及父母的依恋、养育观念和心理健康状况等因素,都会对父母与儿童之间有关情绪的谈话产生影响。未来亲子间有关情绪的谈话研究应更多考虑儿童长远发展的社会文化适应性视角,加强对非言语信息、亲子间交互回应行为的分析,拓展儿童中期和青春期的探讨,并进一步细化各项研究指标的差异水平、考虑中介因素的作用。     

Marital Therapy and Marital Power: Constructing Narratives of Sharing Relational and Positional Power

Scholars continue to emphasize in their conceptualizations of marital power the capacity to exert influence in the marital relationship based on the control of valued resources and status (positional power). Much less attention has been given to the capacity to exert authority in the marital relationship through the context of an intimate relationship and the opportunities for influence it provides (relational power). Strategies are suggested for co-authoring narratives with couples in the process of therapy that create opportunities for them to share these bases of power within their families in ways that free them from the negative constraints associated with cultural discourses about gender and power.     

A systematic review of relationship sacrifices from 2002 to 2021: Moving toward inclusivity

We conducted a systematic review of research on relational sacrifices in romantic relationships from 2002 to 2021 [N = 115 studies] to answer three questions: Q1: Whose voices and vantage points are represented in the research?; Q2: What types of questions are valued?; Q3: What are the reflections and connections about relational sacrifices that were learned during the review? To address Q1, we coded sample demographics of study participants on geographical location, race/ethnicity, education/income/SES, gender (i.e., gender differences explored and beyond gender binaries), sexual orientation, age, and disability, using a coding system of 1 (exclusion/absence) to 5 (focus on context-relevant experiences for underrepresented samples). Results for Q1 showed that the most frequent codes were 1 (exclusion/absence) for information about the samples' disability status, education/income/SES, and both codes for gender (i.e., gender differences explored and beyond gender binaries); when demographic information was reported, the most frequent codes were 2 (compensatory addition) for age, sexual orientation, geographical location, and race/ethnicity. To address Q2, we coded for aspects of the study designs and conceptual dimensions of sacrifice. Results for Q2 showed that a majority of the studies in our review used quantitative and close-ended measures emphasizing behavioral frequency of sacrifice. For Q3, we include our own reflections and connections about relational sacrifices, questioning research methods, and challenging assumptions drawn from existing research to move toward a more inclusive science.     

Are Female Stalkers More Violent Than Male Stalkers? Understanding Gender Differences in Stalking Violence Using Contemporary Sociocultural Beliefs

This study investigated gender differences in the perpetration of stalking violence and how sociocultural beliefs may account for these differences/similarities. A sample of 293 Australian undergraduate and postgraduate students classified as relational stalkers completed a self-report questionnaire assessing violence perpetration (no/moderate/severe violence) and sociocultural beliefs (justifications for relational violence; assessments of target fear). Female relational stalkers perpetrated elevated rates of moderate violence; however, there were no gender differences for severe violence. Both male and female relational stalkers were more supportive of justifications for female-perpetrated relational violence than male-perpetrated relational violence. Violent male relational stalkers were more likely to believe they caused fear/harm than their female counterparts. These findings are interpreted in the context of sociocultural beliefs that view male-to-female violence as more unacceptable and harmful than female-to-male violence.     

Beliefs about Chastity, Machismo, and Caste Identity: A Cultural Psychology of Gender

The study was conducted with a community sample (N = 1118) of participants from three caste groups (Brahmins, Thevars, and Gounders) from villages that are reported to have an extremely male-biased sex ratio in Tamilnadu, India. Chastity, Machismo, and Caste Identity scales were used to assess cultural beliefs about gender and caste. The correlations among beliefs about caste identity, chastity, and machismo were significant for all three caste groups. There was a significant difference between Brahmins and the other caste groups in beliefs about caste, chastity, and machismo. There was a significant interaction among marital status and gender. Married men’s scores on chastity and machismo were higher than unmarried men for all caste groups. Thevars and Gounders were high on machismo and chastity. Women in all caste groups, particularly Thevar women, were high on caste identity. The implications of the findings for the study of gender and immigration are discussed.     

Crafting the TALE: construction of a measure to assess the functions of autobiographical remembering

Theory suggests that autobiographical remembering serves several functions. This research builds on previous empirical efforts (Bluck, Alea, Habermas, & Rubin, 2005) with the aim of constructing a brief, valid measure of three functions of autobiographical memory. Participants (N=306) completed 28 theoretically derived items concerning the frequency with which they use autobiographical memory to serve a variety of functions. To examine convergent and discriminant validity, participants rated their tendency to think about and talk about the past, and measures of future time orientation, self-concept clarity, and trait personality. Confirmatory factor analysis of the function items resulted in a respecified model with 15 items in three factors. The newly developed Thinking about Life Experiences scale (TALE) shows good internal consistency as well as convergent validity for three subscales: Self-Continuity, Social-Bonding, and Directing-Behaviour. Analyses demonstrate factorial equivalence across age and gender groups. Potential use and limitations of the TALE are discussed.     

Social comparison, self-stereotyping, and gender differences in self-construals

Four studies examined gender differences in self-construals and the role of social comparison in generating these differences. Consistent with previous research, Study 1 (N=461) showed that women define themselves as higher in relational interdependence than men, and men define themselves as higher in independence/agency than women. Study 2 (N=301) showed that within-gender social comparison decreases gender differences in self-construals relative to a control condition, whereas between-genders comparison increases gender differences on both relational interdependence and independence/agency. Studies 3 (N=169) and 4 (N=278) confirmed these findings and showed that changing self-construal changes gender differences in social dominance orientation. Across the 4 studies, strong evidence for the role of in-group stereotyping as mediator of the effect of gender on self-construal was observed on the relational dimension but not on the agentic dimension.     

Crafting the TALE: Construction of a measure to assess the functions of autobiographical remembering

Theory suggests that autobiographical remembering serves several functions. This research builds on previous empirical efforts (Bluck, Alea, Habermas, & Rubin, 2005) with the aim of constructing a brief, valid measure of three functions of autobiographical memory. Participants (N=306) completed 28 theoretically derived items concerning the frequency with which they use autobiographical memory to serve a variety of functions. To examine convergent and discriminant validity, participants rated their tendency to think about and talk about the past, and measures of future time orientation, self-concept clarity, and trait personality. Confirmatory factor analysis of the function items resulted in a respecified model with 15 items in three factors. The newly developed Thinking about Life Experiences scale (TALE) shows good internal consistency as well as convergent validity for three subscales: Self-Continuity, Social-Bonding, and Directing-Behaviour. Analyses demonstrate factorial equivalence across age and gender groups. Potential use and limitations of the TALE are discussed.     

Reciprocal Effects Between Locus of Control and Job Attributes

The purpose of this study was to examine the reciprocal relationships between locus of control and job attributes of a representative sample of 1383 employees in a large Australian city. It was predicted that employees with an internal locus of control would attain jobs higher on skill-utilization, influence and income than those attained by employees with an external locus of control. It was also predicted that jobs involving high skill-utlization, influence and income would induce greater internal control beliefs than those low on skill-utilization, influence and income. Locus of control was measured using Rotter's scale (Rotter, 1966). Reciprocal causation was assessed using two-stage least squares analysis. For the total sample, it was found that locus of control and job attributes were reciprocally determined. However, locus of control was not related to influence when skill-utilization and income were controlled. When the sample was split on the basis of gender and marital status, the predicted relationships between locus of control, skill-utilization and income were found for married men only. For married women, locus of control was neither a determinant of job attributes nor an outcome of job experience. These sub-group differences were interpreted in terms of differences in job tenure, work values and occupational opportunity.     

Inverse gender gap in Germany: social dominance orientation among men and women

Across cultures studies show that men score higher on social dominance orientation than women. This gender gap is considered invariant, but conflicting explanations are discussed: Some authors refer to evolutionary psychology and perceive the gender gap to be driven by sociobiological factors. Other authors argue that social roles or gender-stereotypical self-construals encouraged by intergroup comparisons are responsible for attitudinal gender difference. In Study 1 we analyzed sex differences in social dominance orientation in three German probability surveys (each n > 2300). Unexpectedly, the analyses yielded an inverse gender gap with higher values for social dominance orientation in women than in men. Interactions with age, education, political conservatism, and perceived inequity indicated that the inverse gender gap can be mainly attributed to older, conservative, (and less educated) respondents, and those who feel they get their deserved share. In Study 2 we replicated the well-known gender gap with men scoring higher than women in social dominance orientation among German students. Results are interpreted on the basis of biocultural interaction, which integrates the sociobiological, social role, and self-construal perspectives. Our unusual findings seem to reflect a struggle for status by members of low-status groups who consider group-based hierarchy the most promising option to improve their status. While younger women take advantage of a relational, feminine self-construal that leads to lower social dominance orientation in young women than in young men, older women are supposed to profit from an agentic self-construal that results in stronger social dominance orientation values. Specific characteristics of the culture in Germany seem to promote this strategy. Here, we discuss the female ideal of the national socialist period and the agentic female social role in the post-war era necessitated by the absence of men.     

Religiosity and Marital Satisfaction

This study examined the association between religiosity and marital satisfaction among first-married and remarried adults. Seven hundred and eighty-seven heterosexually married adults from the Flanders region in Belgium completed the Maudsley Marital Questionnaire (MMQ) and a four-item religiosity scale, measuring marital satisfaction and religiosity respectively. This study found the effect of gender and marital status statistically significant (p < .0001) on religiosity. For marital satisfaction, the effect of gender and marital status statistically significant only for MMQ-S (p < .0001) and MMQ-M (p < .0001) respectively. Religiosity had a significant positive correlation (r = .19, p < .0001) with sexual-adjustment problems (MMQ-S). The ultimate aim of this study was to inform marital and relational therapists the value of a possible association religiosity has on marital satisfaction.This study was conducted at the Institute for the Family and Sexuality Sciences, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, as part of doctoral research.     

Teacher beliefs,teacher characteristics,and school contextual factors: What are the relationships?

Background. There is a plethora of research around student beliefs and their contribution to student outcomes. However, there is less research in relation to teacher beliefs. Teacher factors are important to consider since beliefs mould thoughts and resultant instructional behaviours that, in turn, can contribute to student outcomes. Aims. The purpose of this research was to explore relationships between the teacher characteristics of gender and teaching experience, school contextual variables (socio‐economic level of school and class level), and three teacher socio‐psychological variables: class level teacher expectations, teacher efficacy, and teacher goal orientation. Sample. The participants were 68 male and female teachers with varying experience, from schools in a variety of socio‐economic areas and from rural and urban locations within New Zealand. Method. Teachers completed a questionnaire containing items related to teacher efficacy and goal orientation in reading. They also completed a teacher expectation survey. Reading achievement data were collected on students. Interrelationships were explored between teacher socio‐psychological beliefs and the teacher and school factors included in the study. Results. Mastery‐oriented beliefs predicted teacher efficacy for student engagement and classroom management. The socio‐economic level of the school and teacher gender predicted teacher efficacy for engagement, classroom management, instructional strategies, and a mastery goal orientation. Being male predicted a performance goal orientation. Conclusions. Teacher beliefs, teacher characteristics, and school contextual variables can result in differences in teacher instructional practices and differing classroom climates. Further investigation of these variables is important since differences in teachers contribute to differences in student outcomes.     

Understanding Marital Satisfaction and Couple Type as Functions of Relational Expectations

The present study examined the role played by relational expectations in determining marital satisfaction and in discriminating between married couple types. The discrepancy between one's expectations for his or her spouse's relational behavior and one's perceptions of his or her spouse's actual behavior significantly predicted marital satisfaction. Discrepancy scores for the relational dimensions of intimacy, distance, equality/ trust, dominance, and noncomposure/arousal appear to be most central in predicting satisfaction. While agreement between spouses on relational expectations significantly predicted satisfaction, expectation/perception discrepancies were revealed to be stronger predictors than agreement scores. There were no differences in relational expectations when compared across couple type; however, intimacy and noncomposure/arousal displayed significant differences when compared across wives’ individual marital type. Overall, intimacy, noncomposure/arousal, and equality/trust played central roles in understanding marital satisfaction.     

For richer,for poorer: Financial behaviors,power (im)balance,and relational aggression among different-gender newlyweds in the U.S.

Guided by an intersectional feminism framework, we used three-wave, dyadic survey data from a nationally representative sample of 1625 U.S. different-gender newlywed couples to test three research questions. First, as balanced power is considered a key concept for relational well-being in feminism, we examined developmental trajectories in husbands' and wives' perception of power (im)balance. Second, considering money as a major influence on power and aggression, we examined how financial behaviors relate to power (im)balance and in turn relational aggression—a type of intimate partner violence that is controlling and manipulative in nature. Third, informed by the intersectionality between gender and socioeconomic status (SES), we examined gender differences and SES disparities in the associations among financial behaviors, developmental trajectories of perception of power (im)balance, and relational aggression. Our findings demonstrate that newlywed different-gender couples are experiencing power struggles, where two partners diminish each other's influence over time. We also found that healthy financial behaviors are associated with balanced power and, in turn, less relational aggression (especially for wives and in lower-SES households). Taken collectively, we continue calling for efforts to facilitate money management skills and promote balanced marital power.     

Marital adjustment in post‐Soviet Eastern Europe: A focus on Lithuania

Abstract Seventy‐five married female and 43 married male residents of Lithuania participated in a questionnaire study of their marital adjustment and marital chore division. The participants reported their marital chore division, beliefs about gender appropriateness for a list of chores, and the number of hours per week they spend on these chores. They also completed the Marital Adjustment Test ( H. J. Locke & K. M. Wallace, 1959 ). Egalitarian chore practices were positively correlated with marital adjustment for women, but egalitarian chore beliefs were positively correlated with marital adjustment for men. The results are consistent with speculation that chore division may be particularly relevant to marital adjustment in a post‐Soviet context that has a tendency toward egalitarianism in the workplace, but not in the home.     

Men and masculinities: Scales for masculinity ideology and masculinity-related constructs

11 instruments for assessing beliefs and attitudes about men or masculinity standards (masculinity ideology) and 6 instruments that assess first-person accounts of gender role conflict, stress, or conformity to masculinity ideology are evaluated in this review. The 17 instruments were all developed in the past 2 decades and peer reviewed, and are readily accessible. An introductory section distinguishes between gender ideology and gender orientation and defines the scope of the first set of 11 scales as indexing the extent to which subjects accept the ideas and beliefs used to justify gender roles and relations. The second set of 6 scales focus on how men individually experience their gender. All scales were systematically evaluated according to whether they include items comparing the sexes or concerning gender relations or items assessing attitudes and beliefs about women. Inclusion of these types of items is noted in a table, along with information on whether the authors assumed one dominant form of masculinity, whether subscales were identified, and the psychometric properties of the scale and subscale. The review suggests that measures of gender orientation and measures of gender ideologies are independent and have differential correlates. Evidence also suggests that gender ideologies about men are distinct from and have differential correlates from gender ideologies about women or about gender relations in general. Items comparing genders should thus be avoided in measures of attitude toward masculinities. Several of the measures have too narrow a definition of masculinity.