Contrast Effects of Stereotypes: “Nurturing” Male Professors are Evaluated More Positively Than “Nurturing” Female Professors

The stereotype that men are less nurturing than women frequently leads people to evaluate men less favorably than they evaluate equivalent women in situations that require nurturance and care. Nevertheless, theories of expectancy-violation suggest that such stereotypes may lead people to evaluate men who are unambiguously nurturing in such situations more positively than they evaluate equivalent women. Consistent with predictions, participants evaluated a hypothetical male professor who was described as “particularly nurturing” more favorably than they evaluated an equivalent female professor. This finding suggests that negative stereotypes do not always lead to less favorable evaluations; rather, negative stereotypes that are violated by unambiguous information can lead to more favorable evaluations through contrast effects.