Cited by 1,853Gender Roles and Identity StudiesGender and Feminist StudiesSocial and Intergroup Psychology

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Social Role Theory

Eagly, Alice H., Wood, Wendy·2012·Handbook of Theories of Social Psychology

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Abstract

What causes sex differences and similarities in behavior? At the core of our account are societal stereotypes about gender. These stereotypes, or gender role beliefs, form as people observe male and female behavior and infer that the sexes possess corresponding dispositions. For example, in industrialized ...

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“Most people, when observing differential behaviors, assume that men and women are intrinsically dissimilar and construct specific “multifaceted” gender roles that include either essentially masculine or essentially feminine features (Beckwith, 2005; Wood and Eagly, 2012).”
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Background
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To "See" is to Stereotype
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Background
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BackgroundInfluential
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Self-citation
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“A common stereotype of female gender relates to nurturing behaviors; when family members or others in society are in need of care, females who perceive themselves as societal members expected to provide care are more likely to do so.(5) Also, females who have been reinforced for their nurturing behaviors are more like…”
Background
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Background
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Background
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“The gender role theory, rooted within social role theory (Eagly & Wood, 2012), posits that when men and women perform the same social roles, their behaviour and attitudes are more similar.”
Gender and Sexual Economics
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Background
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Background
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“This directive for future cultivation research is further strengthened by research based in social role theory (Eagly and Wood 2012) which proposed that gender stereotypes might change when gender distribution changes (Diekman and Eagly 2000), and it is encountered in daily life or through mediated…”
Method
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BackgroundInfluential
Can error management culture increase work engagement in hotels? The moderating role of gender
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“Therefore, previous studies developed various theories to explain why women tend to pursue non-STEM careers, such as social identity theory, social role theory and goal congruity theory (e.g., Diekman, Steinberg, Brown, Belanger and Clark, 2017; Eagly and Wood, 2011; Kim, Sinatra and Seyranian, 2018).”
Background
Risqué business? Interpersonal anxiety and humor in the #MeToo era.
Gloor, J. L. P., Cooper, C. D., Bowes‐Sperry, L., & Chawla, N. (2021) · Journal of Applied Psychology · doi:10.1037/apl0000937 · Cited by 34
“…applicants benefited from using a humor style that closely aligns with traditional gender stereotypes and role expectations of women being warm and communal (Eagly, 1987; Eagly & Wood, 2012; Fiske et al., 2002), reducing interpersonal tension and evaluators’ perceptions of applicants as a threat.”
Background
Types of Combined Family-to-Work Conflict and Enrichment and Subjective Health in Spain: A Gender Perspective
Boz, M., Martínez-Corts, I., & Munduate, L. (2015) · Sex Roles · doi:10.1007/s11199-015-0461-5 · Cited by 37
Empowering women in STEM: a scoping review of interventions with role models
Gioannis, E. D., Pasin, G. L., & Squazzoni, F. (2023) · International Journal of Science Education Part B · doi:10.1080/21548455.2022.2162832 · Cited by 34
“According to the ‘social role theory’ (Eagly & Wood, 2012), these stereotypical beliefs would derive from the perception of women and men in different social roles and occupations.”
Background
Gender differences in entrepreneurs’ work–family conflict and well-being during COVID-19: Moderating effects of gender-egalitarian contexts
Brieger, S. A., Sonbol, D., & Clercq, D. D. (2023) · Journal of Small Business Management · doi:10.1080/00472778.2023.2235755 · Cited by 39
“Different role expectations for men and women emerge from a gendered division of labor, reflecting “the specialization of each sex in activities for which they are physically better suited under the circumstances presented by their society” (Eagly & Wood, 2012, p. 465).”
Influential
Gender, power and emotions in the collaborative production of knowledge: A large-scale analysis of Wikipedia editor conversations
Gallus, J., & Bhatia, S. (2020) · Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes · doi:10.1016/j.obhdp.2020.02.003 · Cited by 33
“Such differences in emotionality may at least in part be explained by society’s gender role beliefs (Eagly & Wood, 2012), or gender stereotypes, which lead to expectations for women to be communal (i.e., warm, emotional, supportive and caring) as opposed to agentic and dominant (e.g., Amanatullah &…”
Background
Power, Gender, and Group Discussion
Mendelberg, T., & Karpowitz, C. F. (2016) · Political Psychology · doi:10.1111/pops.12320 · Cited by 36
“…than men and thus to avoid attempts to exercise overt power, particularly over men, while men are socialized to seek overt power, especially over women (Eagly, 1987; Eagly & Wood, 2012; Pratto & Walker, 2004; Ridgeway, 2001; Ridgeway, Backor, Li, Tinkler, & Erickson, 2009; Wood & Karten, 1986).”
Background
Whose lips are sealed? Gender differences in knowledge hiding at work
Andreeva, T., & Zappa, P. (2023) · Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology · doi:10.1111/joop.12444 · Cited by 41
“Specifically, we draw on social role (Eagly, 1987; Eagly & Wood, 2012) and backlash (Rudman & Phelan, 2008) theories to describe the theoretical rationale for why women and men may differ in the frequency of their knowledge hiding at work and in their approaches to do so.”
BackgroundMethodInfluential
Walking the straight and narrow: Examining the role of traditional gender norms in sexual prejudice.
Wellman, J. D., & McCoy, S. K. (2013) · Psychology of Men & Masculinity · doi:10.1037/a0031943 · Cited by 32
Occupational stereotypes: professionals´ warmth and competence perceptions of occupations
Strinić, A., Carlsson, M., & Agerström, J. (2021) · Personnel Review · doi:10.1108/pr-06-2020-0458 · Cited by 32
“Drawing on the social role theory (Eagly and Wood, 2012) as a theoretical framework, Koenig and Eagly (2014) propose that people’s observations of groups’ social roles determine stereotype content in terms of agency and communion. To illustrate, because women are more frequently observed in roles that involve taking c…”
BackgroundMethodInfluential
Narrative identity across multiple autobiographical episodes: Considering means and variability with well-being
Booker, J. A., Brakke, K. E., Sales, J. M., & Fıvush, R. (2021) · Self and Identity · doi:10.1080/15298868.2021.1895301 · Cited by 31
“…engagement in narrative identity work and from variability in expressing identity themes in narratives than do men because girls and women are socioculturally expected to engage in a wider variety of roles and activities than are men (Eagly & Wood, 2012), requiring more flexibility of identity.”
Background
Group Recruiting Events and Gender Stereotypes in Employee Selection*
Fanning, K., Williams, J. O., & Williamson, M. G. (2021) · Contemporary Accounting Research · doi:10.1111/1911-3846.12710 · Cited by 32
“Over time and through observation of this practice, individuals are socialized into gender roles, which leads to the formation of different social expectations for males relative to females (Eagly and Wood 2012).”
Gender Gap in Parental Leave Intentions: Evidence from 37 Countries
Olsson, M. I. T., Grootel, S. V., Block, K., Schuster, C., Meeussen, L., van Laar, C., Schmader, T., Croft, A., Sun, M. S., Ainsaar, M., et al. (2023) · Political Psychology · doi:10.1111/pops.12880 · Cited by 50
“Empirical and theoretical research has examined why women and men often behave in accordance with traditional gender roles, with men largely occupying breadwinning roles and women largely occupying caretaking roles (e.g., social role theory; Eagly & Wood, 2012).”
Background
Chivalry’s Double-edged Sword: How Girls’ and Boys’ Paternalistic Attitudes Relate to Their Possible Family and Work Selves
Farkas, T., & Leaper, C. (2015) · Sex Roles · doi:10.1007/s11199-015-0556-z · Cited by 32
“Moreover, these processes likely reflect a complex combination of perceived opportunities and social experiences (see Eagly and Wood 2012; Leaper 2015).”
Background
Perceived work‐life balance: Exploring the experiences of professional Moroccan women
Lekchiri, S., & Eversole, B. A. W. (2020) · Human Resource Development Quarterly · doi:10.1002/hrdq.21407 · Cited by 31

Authors: Eagly, A. H., & Wood, W.
Affiliations: Northwestern University (US)
University of Southern California (US)
ORCID: Eagly, Alice H.
Wood, Wendy
Venue: Handbook of Theories of Social Psychology
Publisher: SAGE Publications Ltd
Published: 2012-10-11
Pages: 458-476
DOI: 10.4135/9781446249222.n49
OpenAlex: W2421935140
Cited by: 1,853
References: 0
Citations by year: 2026: 387 · 2025: 386 · 2024: 248 · 2023: 219 · 2022: 136 · 2021: 125 · 2020: 107 · 2019: 82 · 2018: 37 · 2017: 30 · 2016: 29 · 2015: 26 · 2014: 20 · 2013: 15 · 2012: 2
FWCI: 93.43
Type: book chapter
Language: en
Open access: closed
Locations: SAGE Publications Ltd eBooks (publishedVersion)
Topics: Social Sciences › Gender Studies › Gender Roles and Identity Studies
Social Sciences › Gender Studies › Gender and Feminist Studies
Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Social and Intergroup Psychology
Keywords: social role theory, sex differences in behavior, gender stereotypes, gender role beliefs, gender socialization, gender roles, industrial society

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