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Effects of Gender-Related Domain Violations and Sexual Orientation on Perceptions of Male and Female Targets: An Analogue Study

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Abstract

The current study examined factors that influenced heterosexual male and female raters’ evaluations of male and female targets who were gay or heterosexual, and who displayed varying gender roles (i.e., typical vs. atypical) in multiple domains (i.e., activities, traits, and appearance). Participants were 305 undergraduate students from a private, midwestern Jesuit institution who read vignettes describing one of 24 target types and then rated the target on possession of positive and negative characteristics, psychological adjustment, and on measures reflecting the participants’ anticipated behavior toward or comfort with the target. Results showed that gender atypical appearance and activity attributes (but not traits) were viewed more negatively than their gender typical counterparts. It was also found that male participants in particular viewed gay male targets as less desirable than lesbian and heterosexual male targets. These findings suggest a nuanced approach for understanding sexual prejudice, which incorporates a complex relationship among sex, gender, sexual orientation, and domain of gendered attributes.

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Notes

  1. The full set of vignettes is available from the corresponding author.

  2. More detailed information regarding the manipulation check analyses are available from the corresponding author.

  3. Individual difference variables (i.e., attitudes toward gay men and lesbians, attitudes toward feminine men and masculine women, participant’s own gender-role orientation, and social desirability response biases) were also collected and examined via hierarchical multiple regression. Results indicated that none of these variables interacted with the study variables, indicating that the effects of the manipulated variables in the current study held, even when controlling for various individual difference variables. Because none of these interactions was significant, the results are not presented here in detail. However, further information is available from the corresponding author.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School, 1 Bowdoin Sq., 7th Floor, Boston, MA, 02114, USA

    Aaron J. Blashill

  2. Department of Psychology, Saint Louis University, St. Louis, MO, USA

    Kimberly K. Powlishta

Authors
  1. Aaron J. Blashill
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  2. Kimberly K. Powlishta
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Aaron J. Blashill.

Appendix: Target Vignettes

Appendix: Target Vignettes

Heterosexual Male, Masculine Activities

“John is a sophomore at _________ University who grew-up in a suburb of Cleveland, Ohio. He has been dating his girlfriend Michelle since the middle of his freshman year. To save money for school, this past summer John worked as a cook in a restaurant. John enjoys fishing, building with tools, and fixing cars in his spare time.”

Gay Male, Masculine Activities

“John is a sophomore at _________ University who grew-up in a suburb of Cleveland, Ohio. He has been dating his boyfriend Mike since the middle of his freshman year. To save money for school, this past summer John worked as a cook in a restaurant. John enjoys fishing, building with tools, and fixing cars in his spare time.”

Heterosexual Female, Masculine Activities

“Stephanie is a sophomore at _________ University who grew-up in a suburb of Cleveland, Ohio. She has been dating her boyfriend Mike since the middle of her freshman year. To save money for school, this past summer Stephanie worked as a cook in a restaurant. Stephanie enjoys fishing, building with tools, and fixing cars in her spare time.”

Gay Female, Masculine Activities

“Stephanie is a sophomore at _________ University who grew-up in a suburb of Cleveland, Ohio. She has been dating her girlfriend Michelle since the middle of her freshman year. To save money for school, this past summer Stephanie worked as a cook in a restaurant. Stephanie enjoys fishing, building with tools, and fixing cars in her spare time.

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Blashill, A.J., Powlishta, K.K. Effects of Gender-Related Domain Violations and Sexual Orientation on Perceptions of Male and Female Targets: An Analogue Study. Arch Sex Behav 41, 1293–1302 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-012-9971-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-012-9971-1

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