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Sex Differences in Relationships:
Comparing Stereotypes to Self-reports
Elizabeth F. BroadySarah J. HickmanHanover College
Attitudes Toward Marriage
Theoretical Perspectives Evolutionary theory
Men may be more likely to cheat and show less commitment because the costs of pregnancy are lower (Buss & Schmitt, 1993; Cann, Magnum & Wells, 2001).
Social role theory Women have been primarily responsible for
work inside the home which has led them to develop more communal attitudes including more positive attitudes toward marriage (Eagly,1987)
Empirical Evidence
Oliver and Hyde, 1993 Men have more sexual partners than
women (d=.25) Men are more likely to engage in
extramarital sex than women (d=.29)
Graphical representation of effect size
Why stereotypes? Belle, 1985
We tend to focus on the differences when we are faced with two of anything
Hypotheses Males and females will not differ in their self-
reported attitudes toward marriage, commitment, or fidelity
Females will perceive males as having more negative attitudes toward marriage, lower commitment, and lower fidelity than males themselves report
Males will perceive females as having more positive attitudes toward marriage, higher commitment, and higher fidelity than females themselves report
Variables of interest Attitudes toward marriage Commitment Fidelity
Method Participants
133 (37 male, 96 female) Age range (18-47, M=21.5) Ethnicity
79.7% Caucasian, 7.2% African American
Procedure Informed Consent Survey (counterbalanced) Debriefing
Questionnaire Attitudes Towards Marriage (Wallin, 1954)
If you marry, to what extent will you miss the life you have had as a single person? Not at all (1) Very much (6)
Questionnaire Commitment Scale (Lund, 1985)
I would rather spend my free time with my partner than doing other things or seeing other people.
Not at all (1) Very much (6)
Questionnaire Infidelity Scale
I have had a purely physical relationship with someone other than my partner.
Never Once Twice More than twice
Data Analysis Mixed Model ANOVA
Between-subjects variable= Sex Within-subjects variable= Ratee
Followed significant results with appropriate post-hoc comparisons
Attitudes Toward Marriage
3.54
4.49 4.574.23
11.5
22.5
33.5
44.5
55.5
6
FemaleRatingMale
Male Self-
Report
FemaleSelf-
Report
MaleRatingFemale
Att
itu
des
To
war
d M
arri
age NS
Attitudes Toward Marriage
3.54
4.49 4.574.23
11.5
22.5
33.5
44.5
55.5
6
FemaleRatingMale
Male Self-Report
FemaleSelf-
Report
MaleRatingFemale
Att
itu
des
To
war
d M
arri
age NSp < .001
Attitudes Toward Marriage
3.54
4.49 4.574.23
11.5
22.5
33.5
44.5
55.5
6
FemaleRatingMale
Male Self-Report
FemaleSelf-
Report
MaleRatingFemale
Att
itu
des
To
war
d M
arri
age NSp < .001 NS
Commitment
4.21
4.96 4.88 4.73
11.5
22.5
33.5
44.5
55.5
6
FemaleRatingMale
Male Self-
Report
FemaleSelf-
Report
MaleRatingFemale
Co
mm
itm
ent
p= .001 NS NS
Fidelity
3.24
3.67 3.743.44
1
1.5
2
2.5
3
3.5
4
FemaleRatingMale
Male Self-
Report
FemaleSelf-
Report
MaleRatingFemale
Fid
elit
yp= .002 NS p=.003
Discussion Men and women showed no significant
differences in their self-reported attitudes and behaviors
Women viewed men as having more negative attitudes and behaviors than men self-reported
Men were relatively accurate in predicting women’s attitudes
Men viewed women more negatively in regards to fidelity than women self-reported
Discussion Women are more likely than men to discuss
relationship issues (Brody & Hall, 1993)
Popular media emphasizes that men have difficulty in relationships
Women and men perceive themselves more positively than the opposite sex (Epley & Dunning, 2000)
Implications Stereotype inflation is a problem (Hyde,
2005) Couple conflict Communication
