What Women and Men Should Be, Shouldn't be, are Allowed to be, and don't Have to Be: The Contents of Prescriptive Gender Stereotypes
Abstract
This article presents a four-category framework to characterize the contents of prescriptive gender stereotypes. The framework distinguishes between prescriptions and proscriptions that are intensified by virtue of one's gender, and those that are relaxed by virtue of one's gender. Two studies examined the utility of this framework for characterizing prescriptive gender stereotypes in American society (Study 1) and in the highly masculine context of Princeton University (Study 2). The results demonstrated the persistence of traditional gender prescriptions in both contexts, but also revealed distinct areas of societal vigilance and leeway for each gender. In addition, they showed that women are seen more positively, relative to societal standards, than are men. We consider the implications of this framework for research on reactions to gender stereotype deviants and sex discrimination.
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The binary conceptualization of gender functions prescriptively to specify what is desired of women and men and proscriptively by specifying what is not.
“This binary conceptualization of gender functions prescriptively to specify what is desired of women and men and proscriptively by specifying what is not (Morgenroth & Ryan, 2021; Morgenroth et al., 2021; Prentice & Carranza, 2002).”
From A Sexist Language? Gender Differences in Attitudes and Use of Gender-Inclusive Pronouns (2025) · cites this paper as Prentice & Carranza, 2002
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- Authors
- Prentice, D. A., & Carranza, E.
- Affiliations
- Princeton University (US)
- ORCID
- Prentice, Deborah A.
- Venue
- Psychology of Women Quarterly
- Publisher
- SAGE Publications
- Published
- 2002-12
- Volume
- 26
- Issue
- 4
- Pages
- 269-281
- ISSN
- 0361-6843 (ISSN-L)
- 1471-6402
- OpenAlex
- W2157491892
- Cited by
- 1,501
- References
- 1
- Citations by year
- 2026: 68 · 2025: 86 · 2024: 99 · 2023: 82 · 2022: 129 · 2021: 112 · 2020: 157 · 2019: 89 · 2018: 111 · 2017: 79 · 2016: 79 · 2015: 81 · 2014: 67 · 2013: 53 · 2012: 38
- FWCI
- 11.27
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Psychology of Women Quarterly (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Gender Studies › Gender Roles and Identity Studies
- Social Sciences › Gender Studies › Gender and Feminist Studies
- Social Sciences › Gender Studies › Media, Gender, and Advertising
- Keywords
- gender roles, gender stereotypes
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