Age, Gender, And Occupational Label: A Test of Social Role Theory

Role Value, Occupational Balance, and Quality of Life: A Cross-Sectional Study on Exploring the Urban Older People Perspective in South Korea

The purpose of this study was to investigate the role value, occupational balance, and quality of life among urban older adults in South Korea. We recruited 90 urban older adults in Seoul, Gyeonggi-do and Chungcheong-do. Assessments used (1) Role Checklist, (2) Life Balance Inventory (LBI), and (3) WHO Quality of Life Scale abbreviated version (WHOQOL-BREF). Our results showed that the roles that were perceived as very valuable were as family members, housekeepers, and guardians (in descending order). The roles that were perceived as less valuable were students, volunteers, and organizational members (in descending order). The activities that individuals were actively pursuing were hygiene management, rest, and healthy eating (in descending order). By contrast, the activities that were not being actively pursued were composing (music, poetry), preparing for event planning, dancing, yoga, and taekwondo. The total score of the Role Checklist and WHOQOL-BREF total (r = 0.343, p < 0.01), K-LBI total and WHOQOL-BREF total (r = 0.386, p < 0.01), and role value total and K-LBI (r = 323, p < 0.01) showed a statistically significant correlation. As a result of the regression analysis, the sub-item of work balance that affected the quality of life was managing appearance (R2 = 51.7, p < 0.001). These data showed that the role of urban older adults in Korea was mainly played within the family. The level of participation was low in the areas of instrumental daily life activities, work, leisure, and social participation. We propose that this population needs to be provided with opportunities for active aging through broader professional participation.

Diminishing Returns: The Effects of Income on the Content of Stereotypes of Wage Earners

This study examined stereotypes of wage earners who varied in annual income from $10,000 to $190,000. As income increased, these stereotypes increased strongly in positive agentic characteristics and moderately in negative agentic characteristics and decreased slightly in communal characteristics. Findings were consistent with the interpretation that these stereotypic beliefs resulted from the influence of wage earners’ income on participants’ beliefs about earners’ role behavior on the job and in caring relationships.

Stereotypes as Dynamic Constructs: Women and Men of the Past, Present, and Future

Dynamic stereotypes characterize social groups that are thought to have changed from the attributes they manifested in the past and even to continue to change in the future. According to social role theory’s assumption that the role behavior of group members shapes their stereotype, groups should have dynamic stereotypes to the extent that their typical social roles are perceived to change over time. Applied to men and women, this theory makes two predictions about perceived change: (a) perceivers should think that sex differences are eroding because of increasing similarity of the roles of men and women and (b) the female stereotype should be particularly dynamic because of greater change in the roles of women than of men. This theory was tested and confirmed in five experiments that examined perceptions of the roles and the personality, cognitive, and physical attributes of men and women of the past, present, and future.

Gender, Race, and Age: The Content of Compound Stereotypes Across the Life Span

While stereotypes about gender, race, and age (particularly old age) have been studied independently, few have examined the content of compound stereotypes that consider the intersection of gender, race, and age. Using a within-subjects design, we examined stereotypes as a function of target gender (male, female), race (Black, White), and age across the life span (adolescent, young adult, middle-aged, young-old, and old-old). Participants rated 20 target groups on 10 attributes representative of either an agentic (e.g., ambitious) or communal (e.g., considerate) orientation. Participants were presented only with categorical information (e.g., Black, 85-year-old, males), and ordering of categorical information and target groups was counterbalanced across participants. We hypothesized differential effects of target gender and race as a function of age. Multivariate analyses of variance on each attribute revealed significant main effects that supported traditional stereotype research, but significant interactions revealed a more complicated picture. Overall, results showed that while gender stereotypes about agency and communion generally hold up across the life span, they are more applicable to White than Black targets. Results also supported the notion that we hold unique stereotypes based on multiple social categories rather than simply perceiving one social category as more salient than another, which was best exemplified in the case of Black female targets that were less likely to be perceived in gender stereotypic ways across the life span. We suggest stereotype research needs to shift to accommodate for the complexity and diversity of real people.

Understanding the usage of global social networking sites by Arabs through the lens of uses and gratifications theory

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to increase understanding of the determinants and usage of global technology services in Saudi Arabia. The technology under investigation is social network technology, Twitter.

Design/methodology/approach

– Drawing upon relevant extant literature, the paper proposes a research model, which examines the relationship between personal and social factors and usage of Twitter, as well as the moderating effects of gender and user experience. Data were collected online from 281 Saudi Twitter users, and the research model was empirically tested using standard procedures.

Findings

– The findings support some of the proposed direct and moderating effects. For example, enjoyment, freedom of expression, and social interaction were found to influence Twitter usage. Gender as well as user experience has a moderating effect in the relationship between self-presentation and usage.

Research limitations/implications

– The proposed framework contributes to global (technology) services management and marketing research by integrating personal and social factors, and demographics as direct and contingent factors in understanding user acceptance of social network technologies in the Arab region. Detailed discussions of the research, managerial and contextual implications conclude the paper.

Originality/value

– The personal and social motives behind the use of social network sites in the Arab region particularly Saudi Arabia is ill understood due to a dearth of research on the region. This paper helps to bridge this research and knowledge gap.

Hebl M, Singletary Walker S, Fa-Kaji N. Selection biases that emerge when age meets gender

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to examine the interactive effects of gender and age on evaluations of job applicants. Given the double jeopardy hypothesis, the authors might anticipate that older women would be denigrated most in hiring evaluations. However, given expectations of normative gender behavior, the authors might anticipate that older men would be penalized most for not already having stable employment. This study aims to examine which hypothesis best describes selection biases based on age and gender.

Design/methodology/approach

– Stimuli depicting male and female job applicants at the various ages were developed. The stimuli were standardized by collecting facial photos of older White men and women at ages 20, 40, and 60, and morphing these faces onto standardized bodies using Adobe Photoshop. Participants viewed six stimuli, one from each age by gender combination, and made evaluations across job relevant dimensions.

Findings

– Results showed an interaction between age and gender, such that older male applicants were evaluated more negatively than older female and younger male applicants. These findings support for the violation of gender normative behavior hypothesis.

Practical implications

– This study has implications for organizational leaders who can use this information to provide training for selection officers concerning biases against older workers and how to avoid them.

Originality/value

– Original, novel stimuli are used in an experimental design to examine the effects of age in employment in a standardized manner which controls for extraneous variables such as attractiveness across age.

The relationship between age-stereotypes and health locus of control across adult age-groups

OBJECTIVE

This study integrates healthy ageing and health psychology theories to explore the mechanisms underlying the relationship between health control expectancies and age-attitudes on the process of ageing well. Specifically, the aim of this study is to investigate the relationship between age-stereotypes and health locus of control.

DESIGN

A population-based survey of 739 adults aged 20-97 years (mean = 57.3 years, SD = 13.66; 42% female) explored attitudes towards ageing and health attitudes. A path-analytical approach was used to investigate moderating effects of age and gender.

RESULTS

Higher age-stereotype endorsement was associated with higher chance (β = 2.91, p < .001) and powerful other (β = 1.07, p = .012) health expectancies, after controlling for age, gender, education and self-rated health. Significant age and gender interactions were found to influence the relationship between age-stereotypes and internal health locus of control.

CONCLUSION

Our findings suggest that the relationship between age-stereotypes and health locus of control dimensions must be considered within the context of age and gender. The findings point to the importance of targeting health promotion and interventions through addressing negative age-attitudes.

National stereotypes of older people's competence are related to older adults' participation in paid and volunteer work

OBJECTIVES

Why are older people perceived as more competent in some countries relative to others? In the current study, we investigate the extent to which national variation in perceptions of older people's competence is systematically related to national variation in the extent to which older people participate in paid and volunteer work.

METHOD

We used multilevel regression to analyze data from the European Social Survey and test the relationship between perceptions of older people's competence and older people's participation in paid and volunteer work across 28 countries. We controlled for a number of potentially confounding variables, including life expectancy as well as the gender ratio and average education of the older population in each country. We controlled for the average objective cognitive abilities of the older population in a subsample of 11 countries.

RESULTS

Older people were perceived as more competent in countries in which more older people participated in paid or volunteer work, independent of life expectancy and the average education, gender makeup, and average cognitive abilities of the older population.

DISCUSSION

The results suggest that older people's participation in paid and volunteer work is related to perceptions of older people's competence independent of older people's actual competence.

Multiple standards of aging: gender-specific age stereotypes in different life domains

Whereas it is often stated that aging might have more negative consequences for the evaluation of women compared to men, evidence for this assumption is mixed. We took a differentiated look at age stereotypes of men and women, assuming that the life domain in which older persons are rated moderates gender differences in age stereotypes. A sample of 298 participants aged 20-92 rated 65-year-old men and women on evaluative statements in eight different life domains. Furthermore, perceptions of gender- and domain-specific age-related changes were assessed by comparing the older targets to 45-year-old men and women, respectively. The results speak in favor of the domain specificity of evaluative asymmetries in age stereotypes for men and women, and imply that an understanding of gendered perceptions of aging requires taking into account the complexities of domain-specific views on aging.

"Estoy viejo" [I'm old]: internalized ageism as self-referential, negative, ageist speech in the Republic of Panama

Ageism is a form of discrimination that anyone may experience at some point in life (Palmore 2004). Yet ageism is rarely the focus of behavioral research (Nelson 2005). Age can be understood as a social construct that reflects social norms (Lemus and Exposito 2005). Based on our review of the published literature, there were two studies on perceptions of aging among Latina/os in the United States (Beyene et al. 2002; Sarkisian et al. 2006). These studies investigated perceptions and expectations of aging among older Latina/o adults rather than direct experiences of ageism. It is important to note that Latina/os are not a homogenous group and that there are within-group differences. For this reason, this study explored internalized, negative ageism specifically in the Republic of Panama. Although Panama has unique characteristics, it also reflects Central American culture and therefore should provide initial insights regarding Central American self-referential, negative, ageist talk, which we labeled "Estoy viejo." Flanagan's Critical Incident Technique was used to access and understand participants' (ages 18-65) negative ageist talk (n=159). Participants who reported engaging in "Estoy viejo." (46.3% of those sampled) were significantly younger than participants who did not (p< .05). One potential explanation is that younger participants may have been more influenced by North American culture and its strongly negative ageist stereotypes than older participants, who may have identified primarily with Central American culture.

Die Bedeutung von Informationen zur sozialen Rolle für die Reduktion geschlechtsstereotypen Urteilens

Zusammenfassung: Die Forschung zur sozialen Rollentheorie hat durchweg gezeigt, dass die Vorgabe derselben Rolleninformation geschlechtsstereotype Persönlichkeitsbeurteilungen von Männern und Frauen reduziert. Die vorliegende Studie hinterfragt die rollentheoretische Erklärung dieser Befunde und untersucht, inwieweit die bisherigen Ergebnisse dadurch zustande kamen, dass Personen unterschiedliche Standards für Männer und Frauen bei ihren Beurteilungen anwendeten. Die Versuchspersonen verglichen Männer und Frauen in derselben Rolle, d. h. im Haushalt tätig, Vollzeit berufstätig oder nicht spezifiziert, hinsichtlich geschlechtsstereotyper Eigenschaften. Um einen Wechsel der Beurteilungsmaßstäbe zu verhindern, gaben die Versuchspersonen auf derselben Ratingskala an, ob das jeweilige Persönlichkeitsmerkmal bei einem/einer durchschnittlichen Mann/Frau mehr oder weniger ausgeprägt ist als bei einer durchschnittlichen Person des anderen Geschlechts. In Übereinstimmung mit der sozialen Rollentheorie wurden im Haushalt tätige Männer und Frauen sowie berufstätige Männer und Frauen ähnlicher bezüglich expressiver und instrumenteller Eigenschaften beurteilt als Männer und Frauen ohne Rolleninformation. Dieser Rolleneffekt war bei weiblichen Versuchspersonen stärker ausgeprägt als bei männlichen Versuchspersonen.