The Misperception of Gender Economic Equality

Economic resources are distributed unequally by gender, yet we have an incomplete understanding of how people perceive gender inequality in the U.S. Across three studies (N = 1107), we investigate the antecedents and consequences of perceptions of gender economic inequality. In Studies 1 and 2, compared with federal data, participants consistently overestimated contemporary gender equality (e.g., 2010’s) and progress toward gender equality from 1970s – 2010s. Using a racially diverse sample (i.e., Black, Latino, and White male respondents), Study 3 examined perceptions of gender economic equality at seven timepoints between 1973 and 2011. Participants in Study 3 underestimated gender equality in the past and began to overestimate gender equality from 2000, in a linear fashion. Both hostile sexism and belief in a just world consistently predicted overestimates of current gender economic equality (S1-S3). Overestimates predicted lower support for policies meant to address gender inequality (S1). We discuss practical and theoretical implications.