Detecting and Labeling Prejudice: Do Female Perpetrators Go Undetected?

The present study tested the notion that gender bias against women would be less likely to be recognized if it came from an unexpected source, a female perpetrator. One hundred ninety-six college students read 12 vignettes (embedded in 7 fillers) that described sexist actions against females. Both male and female subjects were more likely to label a critical vignette as sexist if the perpetrator of the act was male rather than female. In addition, for a given action, male perpetrators were perceived by both males and females as displaying more intense sexist behavior than female perpetrators. Furthermore, women subjects provided higher average intensity scores than male subjects when a perpetrator was identified as sexist. The results are discussed in light of research on gender stereotypes. Alternative explanations and social implications are also discussed.