The Effect of Competition on Stereotypes about Sex-Role and Marital Satisfaction

Summary

Sex-role stereotypes attributed to descriptions of married couples were examined. Ratings of the “femininity” or “masculinity” of couples were made by 259 male and female undergraduates. In the competitive conditions, couples were described as attending medical or law school. Their performance was described as successful or unsuccessful. In the noncompetitive conditions, they enacted traditional roles. “Masculine” traits were associated with achievement and “feminine” traits with nonachievement, for both female and male stimulus persons. The low-achieving female and the housewife were rated as equally “feminine.” When the couple were in the same field, the husband was rated as more “masculine” than when they were in different fields. Male raters tended to see the husband as less “masculine” when his wife was successful; female raters saw him as less “masculine” when his wife was unsuccessful. When the husband was rated second, he was rated as more “masculine” than when he was rated first. Marital satisfaction was high when both wife and husband were successful or enacted traditional roles. Satisfaction was low when either one or both of them were unsuccessful.