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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Background
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BackgroundMethod
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Background
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“Female gender role has been linked to communal behavior, such as accommodating, concern for and with others, and pro-sociality, while the male gender role tends to be characterized in terms of competitiveness, assertiveness, and self-focus (Eagly & Wood, 2012).”
Background
Social Issues Associated with the Internet at Work
Stone, D. L., Krueger, D. C., & Takach, S. E. (2017) · Wiley eBooks · doi:10.1002/9781119256151.ch19 · Cited by 10
Gendering Corporate Boards and Conditional Effectiveness of Board Processes: Insights from a Sub-Saharan African Country
Damoah, O. B. O., Lamptey, Y. A., Anlesinya, A., & Tetteh, B. N. A. (2021) · Global Business Review · doi:10.1177/09721509211036271 · Cited by 8
“Men are expected to occupy to leadership and managerial positions, where critical or most decisions are made (Eagly & Wood, 2012).”
Power to the she: early-stage female entrepreneurs and innovation
Brownell, K. M., Kickul, J. R., & Hechavarria, D. M. (2024) · International Journal of Gender and Entrepreneurship · doi:10.1108/ijge-01-2024-0018 · Cited by 8
Who Cares? Stereotypes of and Support for Men Working in Childcare
Haines, S., Sczesny, S., & Graf, S. (2025) · Sex Roles · doi:10.1007/s11199-025-01559-5 · Cited by 7
“Gender stereotypes not only represent the content of shared beliefs about women and men but also define the social norms of what men and women should be, and should not be (Eagly, 1987; Eagly & Wood, 2012).”
The Development of a Moral Compass: Exploring Age and Gender Differences in Moral Foundations In Early and Mid‐Adolescence
Gouwy, M., Bostyn, D. H., Clercq, B. J. D., & Roets, A. (2025) · Journal of Adolescence · doi:10.1002/jad.12500 · Cited by 8
Corporate low carbon governance: examining the influence of female executive power on carbon performance in Chinese listed companies
Huang, J., Xiang, Y., & Zhang, Z. (2025) · Humanities and Social Sciences Communications · doi:10.1057/s41599-025-05517-0 · Cited by 7
“…power enables female executives to more effectively translate their carbon reduction intentions into actionable strategies, thus enhancing CCP. Additionally, we incorporate social role theory (SRT) to clarify how societal expectations shape the behavior of female executives (Eagly and Wood 2012).”
The association between parent-adolescent conflicts and depressive mood: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Wang, Y., & Tang, W. (2025) · BMC Psychology · doi:10.1186/s40359-025-03021-3 · Cited by 9
“These differences may average out the impact of gender on the relationship between parent-adolescent conflict and depression ([19, 33]).”
What prevents STEM universities from widening participation? A systematic literature review on global experiences
Liu, Z., & Kringos, N. (2025) · International Journal of STEM Education · doi:10.1186/s40594-025-00580-0 · Cited by 11
“In a further articulation by Eagly and Wood (2012) in social role theory, the profound impact that societal structures have on gender-specific behaviors, beliefs, and attitudes was highlighted.”
Sustainability corporate governance: The role of audit committees on the board, gender diversity, and risk management
Hidayah, R., Suryandari, D., Suryarini, T., et al. (2026) · Corporate Governance and Sustainability Review · doi:10.22495/cgsrv10i2p1 · Cited by 7
“Furthermore, based on social role theory, it is argued that females are more conscientious than men (Eagly & Wood, 2012).”
Influential
Who benefits from (Human Resource Management) professionalization? The moderating role of gender on professionalization effects in organisations
Scheibmayr, I., & Reichel, A. (2023) · Human Resource Management Journal · doi:10.1111/1748-8583.12508 · Cited by 7
A Comparison of Police Use of Force by Male and Female Officers in Canada: Rates, Modalities, Effectiveness, and Injuries
Sheppard, J., Khanizadeh, A., Baldwin, S., & Bennell, C. (2024) · Criminal Justice and Behavior · doi:10.1177/00938548241227551 · Cited by 7
“…that can be drawn on to potentially explain observed officer sex differences in the UoF, ranging from evolutionary explanations to neurobiological explanations, but one theory that appears particularly well-suited is a social psychological theory known as social role theory (Eagly & wood, 2012).”
Background
Sexual (Double) Standards Revisited: Similarities and Differences in the Societal Evaluation of Male and Female Sexuality
Weber, M., & Friese, M. (2024) · Social Psychological and Personality Science · doi:10.1177/19485506241237288 · Cited by 10
“Social role theory posits that biological differences between the genders have led to the division of labor, which in turn has led to different gender role expectations for men and women (Eagly & Wood, 2012; Wood & Eagly, 2002).”
Early career gender differences in job burnout trajectories in Finland: Roles of work, family, and financial resources
Fang, Y., Tang, X., & Salmela‐Aro, K. (2024) · International Journal of Behavioral Development · doi:10.1177/01650254241266107 · Cited by 10
“Finnish culture ideals also agree with the social role theory (Eagly & Wood, 2012; Eagly, 1978) and assume the caregiver role by women (Eerola & Mykkänen, 2015).”
Female leaders as environmental saviors: Tackling urban pollution in Chinese cities
Tang, M., Guo, L., & Li, H. (2024) · Journal of Cleaner Production · doi:10.1016/j.jclepro.2024.143334 · Cited by 7
A role perspective on flexible human resource practices and older workers’ early retirement intentions
Cui, G., Sun, J., & Kooij, D. T. A. M. (2024) · The International Journal of Human Resource Management · doi:10.1080/09585192.2024.2392830 · Cited by 7
“Conversely, women are more likely to have a higher need for emotional, tender, and communal activities fulfilled by family roles (Eagly & Wood, 2012), which might make their family role identities more salient than for men.”
The Effect of Total Work-Time Information on a Performance Evaluation Bias against Telecommuting Mothers
Wang, L. W., Williamson, M. G., & Li, Y. (2024) · The Accounting Review · doi:10.2308/tar-2023-0027 · Cited by 6
Financial Knowledge and Short- and Long-Term Financial Behavior Across Gender and Generations: Evidence from Japan
Long, T. Q., & Nguyen, T. D. (2024) · SAGE Open · doi:10.1177/21582440241295846 · Cited by 16
“The gender differences in financial behavior may also understood through various theories such as the lifecycle perspective, social role theory (Eagly & Wood, 2012), or the intersectionality theory (Rosenthal, 2016).”
Is Mansplaining Gendered? The Effects of Unsolicited, Generic, and Prescriptive Advice on U.S. Women
Santoro, E., & Markus, H. R. (2024) · Psychological Science · doi:10.1177/09567976241268630 · Cited by 7
“…unresponsive advice from men (but not from women) might remind women receivers of societally normative gender roles (Cheryan & Markus, 2020; Eagly & Wood, 2012) and, in doing so, may induce in women the experience of stereotype threat, or the perception that one is being seen through the…”
How do gender and age similarities with a potential social engineer influence one’s trust and willingness to take security risks?
Abuelezz, I., Barhamgi, M., Alshakhsi, S. A. A., Yankouskaya, A., Nhlabatsi, A., Khan, K. M., & Ali, R. (2024) · International Journal of Information Security · doi:10.1007/s10207-024-00954-5 · Cited by 8
“Figures”

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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