Gender schematicity and preference for gender‐typed products

Two experiments demonstrated that subjects preferred products described in terms congruent with their self‐perceived schema for masculinity or femininity. In Experiment 1, male subjects were classified as highly masculine or not so masculine on the basis of their self‐ratings. Those who were highly masculine preferred a product described in very masculine terms and those who were not so masculine preferred a product described in feminine terms. In Experiment 2, female subjects were classified as highly feminine or not so feminine on the basis of self‐ratings. Highly feminine subjects liked a product best when it was described in highly feminine terms, next most when it was described as having both masculine and feminine attributes, and least when it was depicted as totally masculine. Subjects who saw themselves as less feminine showed the opposite pattern of preference. These effects did not appear to be mediated by differential processing of schema‐consistent information.