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 Israe li Arabs and 80 Israeli Jews) were presented with two male candidates for c lass representative, one outstanding candidate with traditional feminine in terests and characteristics and the other an average candidate with masculi ne interests and characteristics Participants were asked to rate the candid ates on various measures such as their own election choice, others' electio n choice, their prediction of the candidate's likelihood of being elected a nd their affinity and willingness to engage in activities with the candidat e. The results showed that while both Arab and Jewish participants discrimi nated against the feminine candidate, the Arab participants discriminated t o a much greater degree. The results emphasize the important role that cult ure plays in gender discriminatory behavior.