Citation

Conway M, Irannejad S, Giannopoulos C. Aggressive Behav. 2005; 31(4): 381-398.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2005, International Society for Research on Aggression, Publisher John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

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Abstract

Meta-analyses of social psychological research have identified gender differences in aggression [Bettencourt and Miller, 1996; Eagly and Steffen, 1986], which have been understood to date in terms of social role theory [Eagly, 1987]. The present studies examined the hypothesis that women's lower status relative to men can account for these observed differences. Participants in Study I were presented low- and high-status targets, with status unconfounded with gender, and reported their perceptions of these targets' aggression. Perceptions were for features addressed in the meta-analyses. As expected, low- relative to high-status individuals were generally perceived in a manner analogous to how women relative to men are portrayed in the meta-analyses. Participants in Study 2 reported on their perceptions of women's and men's aggression; findings also generally conformed to those of the meta-analyses. Findings are discussed in terms of a status account of gender.