interpreting the situation : the relationship of gender stereotypes and adherence to attitudes and beliefs to reactions to wife abuse
abstract
this study examined the relationship of gender stereotypes and cultural beliefs
with responses to victimization. when women are victimized in a marital
violence context, intervention likelihood and attributions about marital violence
may be related to adherence to gender stereotypes and cultural beliefs about
battered women. this study elicited reactions to written scenarios which
depicted differing levels of abuse. respondents were required to complete a
measure of sex-role stereotyping, adherence to cultural beliefs about wife
beating, likelihood of victimization and intervention, perceptions of sanctions,
believability and probability of victimization, and responsibility of spouses for
origin and solutions of abuse. it was expected that individuals who subscribe
to gender stereotypes would adhere to cultural beliefs and differ from
individuals who do not subscribe to gender stereotypes in their responses to
these measures- findings provided evidence for the influence of gender-based
expectations and cultural beliefs on perceptions and judgments of victimization.
suggestions for future research were discussed.
collections
- retrospective theses [1604]