Think Parent--Think Mother: Perceptions of mothers shape the stereotype of parents

The social category parents comprises two principal category members–mothers and fathers. Using a multi-method approach (i.e., free responses and trait ratings), the present study (N = 432) compared the stereotype of parents with that of mothers and fathers on communion and agency as well as their sub-facets: warmth, morality, assertiveness, and competence. We tested two competing hypotheses: the stereotype of parents is similar to that of mothers (parent-mother similarity) and that the parent stereotype is a combination of mother and father stereotypes (parent-as-average). Overall, results showed more support for parent-mother similarity, especially in free responses. Results of trait ratings, however, showed a mixed pattern: parent-as-average on warmth, parent-mother similarity on assertiveness, and unexpectedly, a parent-father similarity on morality and competence. The greater similarity between parent and mother stereotypes not only reflects mothers’ greater involvement in caretaking, but also suggests a “feminine default” in people’s expectations for the parental role.