Table_3_The (Not So) Changing Man: Dynamic Gender Stereotypes in Sweden.DOCX

According to Social Role Theory, gender stereotypes are dynamic constructs influenced by actual and perceived changes in what roles women and men occupy (Wood and Eagly, 2011). Sweden is ranked as one of the most egalitarian countries in the world, with a strong national equality discourse and a relatively high number of men engaging in traditionally communal roles such as parenting and domestic tasks. This would imply a perceived change toward higher communion among men. Therefore, we investigated the dynamics of gender stereotype content in Sweden with a primary interest in the male stereotype and perceptions of gender equality. In Study 1, participants (N = 323) estimated descriptive stereotype content of women and men in Sweden in the past, present, or future. They also estimated gender distribution in occupations and domestic roles for each time-point. Results showed that the female stereotype increased in agentic traits from the past to the present, whereas the male stereotype showed no change in either agentic or communal traits. Furthermore, participants estimated no change in gender stereotypes for the future, and they overestimated how often women and men occupy gender non-traditional roles at present. In Study 2, we controlled for participants’ actual knowledge about role change by either describing women’s increased responsibilities on the job market, or men’s increased responsibility at home (or provided no description). Participants (N = 648) were randomized to the three different conditions. Overall, women were perceived to increase in agentic traits, and this change was mediated by perceptions of social role occupation. Men where not perceived to increase in communion but decreased in agency when change focused on women’s increased participation in the labor market. These results indicate that role change among women also influence perceptions of the male stereotype. Altogether, the results indicate that social roles might have stronger influence on perceptions of agency than perceptions of communion, and that communion could be harder to incorporate in the male stereotype.

根据社会角色理论（Social Role Theory），性别刻板印象是一种动态建构，其形成受男女实际承担与被感知到的角色变化影响（Wood与Eagly，2011）。瑞典是全球最为平等的国家之一，拥有强势的国家平等话语体系，且参与传统亲和性角色（如育儿与家务劳动）的男性比例相对较高。这意味着大众对男性的亲和性感知正朝着更高水平转变。因此，本研究旨在探究瑞典性别刻板印象内容的动态变化，核心关注男性刻板印象以及大众对性别平等的感知。

在研究1中，323名被试需分别评估瑞典过去、现在及未来的男女描述性刻板印象内容，同时估算各时间节点下不同职业与家务角色的性别分布情况。结果显示，从过去到现在，女性刻板印象的工具性特质（agentic traits）得分显著提升，而男性刻板印象的工具性与亲和性特质（communal traits）均未发生明显变化。此外，被试认为未来的性别刻板印象无显著变化，且他们高估了当前男女承担非传统性别角色的频率。

在研究2中，为控制被试对角色变化的实际认知水平，本研究设置了三种实验条件：分别向被试描述女性在职场中承担的责任有所增加、男性在家务中承担的责任有所增加，或不提供任何相关描述。648名被试被随机分配至这三种条件中。总体而言，大众对女性工具性特质的感知呈上升趋势，且这一变化由社会角色承担感知所中介。当实验聚焦于女性职场参与度提升时，男性的工具性特质感知并未上升，反而出现下降。上述结果表明，女性的角色变化同样会影响对男性刻板印象的感知。

综合来看，本研究结果提示，社会角色对工具性特质感知的影响强于对亲和性特质感知的影响，且亲和性特质更难被纳入男性刻板印象之中。