Men face more social status pressure when gender equality is high

Western countries such as Switzerland and Sweden repeatedly rank high in gender equality indices, such as the Global Gender Gap Index by the World Economic Forum (WEF). As it shows, men and women in these countries enjoy the greatest equality in terms of political empowerment, economic participation, education and health. Yet, these indices do not reflect the (in)equality in the social status of the two gender groups.

The two researchers, Dr. Christa Nater and Prof. Sabine Sczesny from the Institute of Psychology at the University of Bern, have now investigated the norms for social status for men and women in seven countries with varying levels of gender equality. In the first step, they identified so-called gender rules in each country. Gender rules are prescriptive and proscriptive gender-specific stereotypes that dictate how men and women should be and should not be. The second step was to analyze the extent to which these desirable and undesirable properties are associated with high or low social status. The study with 4,327 participants was led by the University of Bern in international cooperation with the other six countries (Sweden, the United States, Turkey, India, Ghana, Iran) and has just been published in the renowned journal Psychology of Women Quarterly.

Men should not show weakness

“The consequences of women’s lower social status compared to men’s are manifold, ranging from unexplained wage differences to domestic and sexual violence – even in relatively gender-equal countries,” says Christa Nater, co-lead of the study. “We therefore looked into whether and how the traditional gender hierarchy is still maintained by status beliefs in relatively egalitarian societies today,” Nater continued.

The results show a different picture for men and women. Specifically, it was found in all seven countries that, according to status beliefs, men should not display traits associated with weakness reflecting low social status (such as naivety). Instead, they are supposed to show traits that demonstrate decisiveness, assertiveness, and strength and have high social status (e.g., leadership abilities, ambition). By contrast, women in countries with greater gender equality (Switzerland, Sweden) are not prescribed any characteristics in the sense of a gender rule. In less gender-equal countries (the United States, Turkey, India, Ghana, Iran), on the other hand, women are expected not to exhibit dominant behavior reflecting high social status.

Particularly strong status expectations for men in gender-equal societies

The main findings of this study are based on cross-country comparisons: the countries differ significantly with regard to the extent to which men are expected to exhibit high-status behavior and avoid low-status behavior. “Interestingly, in the relatively gender-equal countries of Switzerland and Sweden, there are particularly strong social norms for men that require them to maintain the higher social status of their gender group,” Nater explains. The researcher adds that men are confronted with less stringent status beliefs in the relatively less gender-equal countries (the United States, India, Turkey, Ghana, Iran), where women have comparatively fewer equal opportunities.

Status beliefs perpetuate the traditional gender hierarchy

“Gender equality in society is generally perceived as fair,” says Sabine Sczesny, co-lead of the study and professor of psychology at the University of Bern. “Greater equal opportunities between men and women are disrupting the traditional gender hierarchy and intensifying competition between groups for high-status positions, power, and resources,” Sczesny continues.

Christa Nater also points out the problem that the social norm that demands men to maintain the higher status of their gender group is a subtle mechanism that undermines the attainment of real equality in terms of equal social value, prestige, and authority. “Our study shows how important it is to be aware of the diverse and sometimes hidden obstacles on the path to achieving actual gender equality in order to effectively reduce social inequalities,” Nater concludes.