Stereotypes as dynamic constructs: Women and men of the past, present, andfuture

Dynamic stereotypes characterize social groups that are thought to have cha nged from the attributes they manifested in the past and even to continue t o change in the future. According to social rob theory's assumption that th e role behavior of group members shapes their stereotype groups should have dynamic stereotypes to the extent that their typical social roles are perc eived to change over time. Applied to men and women, this theory makes two predictions about perceived change; (a) perceivers should think that sex di fferences are eroding because of increasing similarity of the roles of men and women and (b) the female stereotype should be particularly dynamic beca use of greater change in the roles of women than of men. This theory was te sted and confirmed in five experiments that examined perceptions of the rol es and the personality, cognitive and physical attributes of men and women of the past, present, and future.