Superstars within reach: The role of perceived attainability and role congruity in media role models on women's social comparisons

ABSTRACT

Based on social comparison and role congruity theory, this study examined the effect of perceived attainability and role congruity in media female role models on women's social comparison and career interest. A 2×2 experiment was conducted in which participants read a high or low attainability message, then portrayals of role models in a counter-stereotypical career with a family (high congruity to the female gender role) or without a family (low congruity to the female gender role). Results showed that the high attainability message led to self-inspiration and higher career interest, but only when the portrayals were in a less self-relevant domain. Implications for the use of role models to address the issue of female underrepresentation in STEM fields are discussed.

KEYWORDS:

• Social comparison
• role congruity theory
• role models
• women in STEM
• stereotype
• perceived attainability
• upward comparison threat

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes on contributors

Kate T. Luong (M.A., The Ohio State University) is a Ph.D. candidate at the School of Communication at The Ohio State University. Her research is primarily concerned with how individual's self-concept and identity affect media use and how media messages influence the self, especially within the context of science and health communication, entertainment media, narrative, and gender-related issues.

Silvia Knobloch-Westerwick (Ph.D., Hanover University of Music, Drama and Media, Germany) is a professor at the School of Communication at The Ohio State University and editor of COMMUNICATION RESEARCH. Her research focuses on selective exposure in various contexts (online, news, political and science information, entertainment, advertising, health, etc.). Her publications include her 2015 monograph “Choice and Preference in Media Use: Advances in Selective Exposure Theory and Research” and about 90 peer-reviewed articles and 30 book chapters.

Stefan Niewiesk, DVM, PhD (Tieraerztli che Hochschule Hannover, Germany) is a professor and chair of the Department of Veterinary Medicine at the College of Veterinary Medicine at The Ohio State University. He leads an NIH supported research laboratory focused on the pathogenesis of human respiratory viruses, has educated 15 graduate students and postdocs and published more than 90 journal articles and book chapters. He is very involved in the scientific education of veterinary and graduate students.

ORCID

Kate T. Luong http://orcid.org/0000-0003-3942-6829

Notes

1 In preparation of the main study and to identify relevant theoretical frameworks, a series of exploratory qualitative interviews (N = 6) was conducted with students who were currently pursuing a veterinary medicine degree and who had an interest in research and research careers. The sample consisted of 4 women and 2 men, ages ranging from 23 to 28 years old. These interviews took place before the quantitative study was designed and conducted. Participants were asked open-ended questions regarding current and future academic and career plans, what opportunities and challenges they had faced or anticipated in pursuing these plans, and what factors made them more or less likely to follow a research career. The wordings of the questions did not mention any specific factor or concern to avoid priming participants. Follow-up questions were asked after participants had brought up specific factors or concerns themselves. The interviews were conducted and transcribed by the lead author. Mentions or current or future career-family or career-romance conflicts were coded.

Three of the four female participants anticipated future conflicts between having a family and having a research career, and indicated that such conflict made them hesitant about pursing this career path. Two of the three female participants were concerned with having to delay starting a family and having children until their thirties if they were to pursue a research career, and indicated that such a late start would be undesirable. The other female participant indicated that she was single, and being in veterinary school made it hard to find a romantic partner. Both male participants brought up past or current romantic struggles: one participant recently broke up with his girlfriend, and the other was in a long-distance relationship; but neither participant indicated concerns for future career–family conflict.

Additional information

Funding

This study was supported by The College of Veterinary Medicine, The Ohio State University.