The Nature of Prejudice

Solution Preview

Hi student,

(a) Gender Prejudice

One type of prejudice described in the literature has been that of gender prejudice. For example, although males are often not considered as targets of prejudice, research shows that some men experience prejudice based on their masculinity (Stozer & Shih, 2012). For instance, masculinity is associated with performance based on a biological certainty. However, as Stozer and Shih explain, this perception is stated to have serious consequences for some men. For example, in their efforts to prove their masculinity, men may be exposed to more threatening conditions and exhibit more signs of anxiety and thus engage in more physical aggression than women. Further, men are apprehensive about questions concerning their manhood, and work to avoid appearing feminine. They also harbor anti-gay attitudes if they appear too feminine. Finally, Stotzer and Shih suggests that sexually prejudiced men may perceive masculinity to be more precarious than less sexually prejudiced men.

Thus, Stozer and Shih (2012) explored the connections between perceived threats to masculinity, attitude toward gay men, and antigay violence by examining the impact of threats to masculinity within perceptions of masculinity. As an example they found that negative attitudes toward gay men have been found to be correlated with factors such as: (a) hostile sexism, (b) beliefs about using violence and being physically tough, (c) views that being highly masculine is ideal, and (d) feminine characteristics are viewed as undesirable. As a consequence of some beliefs, other studies report that men who feel that being highly masculine is ideal as opposed to feminine characteristics report more negative attitudes toward gay men and women in general (Killanski, 2003 as cited in Stotzer & Shih, 2012). Further, according to Stotzer and Shih, regardless of what men believe about their gender traits, those who believed they were going to interact with another man (whether homosexual or heterosexual) emphasized their masculine traits in their self-presentation. Thus, the research indicates that views on masculinity, attitudes about gay men and beliefs concerning the importance of being masculine are strongly related.

For example, in men who feel that masculinity is most precarious (i.e., sexually prejudiced men), the threat to masculinity may alter their perceptions of their own masculinity because they perceive that masculinity is lost. In contrast, according to Stotzer and Shih (2012), men with less sexual prejudice may not be as threatened by external threats to their masculinity. Based on the research, men who possess high sexual prejudice report possessing more masculine traits than men who have low sexual prejudice. Consequently, threats to masculinity affects men who are high in sexual prejudice to a greater degree than men low in sexual prejudice. Moreover, intolerant men will show a decline in their perceived masculinity, and tolerant men express no difference regarding their perceived masculinity under ...