Nonverbal Maintenance of Traditional Sex Roles

A number of studies have documented that certain nonverbal behaviors are reliable indicators of dominance and relative status within a group while other behaviors indicate liking and emotional warmth. These same cues have been independently found to differentiate men and women so that men display more dominance and high‐status cues and women more liking and warmth in their nonverbal expressions. These sex differences perpetuate sex‐role stereotypes, are particularly resistant to change because of their nonconscious nature, and serve to maintain traditional sex roles.