Year: 2015
Type: article
Abstract: Despite the persistence of economic and social disparities in modern culture (e.g., unequal wealth distribution and gender representation in STEM fields), most people continue to maintain popular support for this system. They justify such disparities as being legitimate and inevitable. According to system justification theory, most people have a motivated belief that the system in which they live in is just and fair. This research focuses on women’s engagement in system justification, using two studies to examine how gender system threat and personal control (independent variables) can affect the levels of economic and gender system justification as well as negative affect/emotions (dependent variables). Study 1(N=65) involved questionnaires that exposed women to gender threat (sexist ideologies) and subsequently measured engagement in justification behaviors. Study 2(N≈60) examined complementary self-stereotyping and experimentally activated system justification motivation by threatening women’s perceptions of the fairness of gender relations. Furthermore, when facing a lack of personal control (manipulated in both studies through a memory task), women try to defend the system by turning to other dimensions—such as diversity of interests or emotions— that can restore their sense of control. We intend to use an ANCOVA followed by planned contrast analyses to test for predicted main and interactive effects. After exposure to threat (IV), we predict that there will be an increase in system justification and negative affect (DVs) compared to baseline levels. Furthermore, after completing the personal control task (IV), those in the high (vs. low) personal control condition should show a decrease in system justification levels and negative affect (DVs) relative to post-threat levels. Although marginally significant, preliminary analyses have shown predicted interactive effects (e.g., T1 gender system justification and threat). Additional analyses further support key predictions at statistically significant levels. This research has implications for general social change, social policies, and specific communities.
Author: Megha Chawla
Language: English
Subfield: Sociology and Political Science
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2246043341