A Systematic Investigation of Age-Gender Intersectional Stereotypes and Their Consequences

Authors:

Abstract: Prior research predominantly has examined age and gender stereotypes in isolation, or else compared targets with intersecting age-gender identities on perceived warmth and competence alone. To foster more nuanced understanding of age-gender intersecting stereotypes, the current paper takes a data-driven, systematic exploration across five online surveys and experiments (N = 4,086). Exploratory and confirmatory analyses constructed models mapping the stereotype content of younger, middle-aged, and older women and men (Studies 1-3). Further, Studies 3-4 revealed the consequences of age-gender stereotype endorsement, predicting both social judgements (Study 3 and 4) and workplace promotion evaluations (Study 5) toward targets with intersecting age-gender identities, beyond established prejudice dimensions and stereotype scales. Overall, the current studies highlight the complex interplay between age and gender in shaping stereotype content, show the consequences of these stereotypes in real-world contexts, and lay essential groundwork for further empirical investigations on an increasingly timely topic.

Track: DEI

Keywords: age, gender, stereotypes