Gender Discrimination as a Function of Stereotypic and Counterstereotypic Behavior: A Cross-Cultural Study

This study investigated gender discriminatory behavior of early adolescents from a cross-cultural perspective. One hundred sixty 7th-graders (80 Israeli Arabs and 80 Israeli Jews) were presented with two male candidates for class representative, one outstanding candidate with traditional feminine interests and characteristics, and the other an average candidate with masculine interests and characteristics. Participants were asked to rate the candidates on various measures such as their own election choice, others' election choice, their prediction of the candidate's likelihood of being elected, and their affinity and willingness to engage in activities with the candidate. The results showed that while both Arab and Jewish participants discriminated against the feminine candidate, the Arab participants discriminated to a much greater degree. The results emphasize the important role that culture plays in gender discriminatory behavior.     

Children's gender-related inferences and judgments: a cross-cultural study.

This study compared the gender-related inferences and judgments of elementary school children (N = 542) of 2 different age groups (3rd graders and 5th graders) from 2 different cultures: Taiwan, a traditional collectivistic culture, and Israel, an individualistic and less traditional culture. The children were presented with 4 stories, 2 about a male target and 2 about a female target with either traditionally masculine or traditionally feminine interests, and were asked to make cognitive and emotional-motivational inferences and judgments about them. Culture played an important role in children's gender-related inferences and judgments. Specifically, Taiwanese children distinguished more than did Israeli children between male targets behaving stereotypically and counterstereotypically. The findings are analyzed within the framework of the differences between the 2 cultures.