People stereotype groups to justify an existing division of labor

Evidence

Skrypnek and Snyder (1982) establish a further link between stereotyping and systemjustification by showing that subjects’ gender stereotypes bring about divisions of labor that are consistent with the stereotypes. Specifically, stereotypic expectations led females who were believed by others to be male to choose to perform stereotypically “masculine tasks” such as fixing a light switch or attaching bait to a fishing hook, while females who were believed to be female opted for “feminine tasks” such as decorating a birthday cake and ironing a shirt … Taking the studies by Eagly and Steffen (1984, 1986), Hoffman and Hurst (1990), and Skrypnek and Snyder (1982) together, it seems that gender stereotypes both reflect and reproduce the division of social roles. The system-justification view holds that stereotypes follow from social and political systems in that certain systems lead people to stereotype themselves and others in such a way that their status, role, and the system in general are explained and justified. In this way, stereotypic beliefs both reflect and justify existing social arrangements. — John T. Jost and Jim Sidanius, Political Psychology, 2922 (#corroborates, via linked claim)

Hoffman and Hurst (1990) similarly stress the importance of social roles in determining the contents of stereotypes. Following Eagly, they argue that gender stereotypes “originate in an attempt to rationalize the division of labor by attributing to each sex those qualities deemed necessary for performance of the assigned functions” (pp. 206–207). By asking subjects to complete trait ratings of two fictional groups, “Orinthians” and “Ackmians,” whose occupations were listed as “childraisers” and “city workers,” respectively, Hoffman and Hurst demonstrate that people spontaneously stereotype the groups in ways that justify their alleged division into separate roles in society. Specifically, childraisers were judged to be more patient, kind, and understanding than city workers, who were judged to be self-confident and forceful. Furthermore, stereotyping in general was more prevalent when subjects were first asked to explain why the groups occupied different roles, lending support to the notion that stereotypes are created by a demand to justify an existing arrangement. — John T. Jost and Jim Sidanius, Political Psychology, 2920 (#corroborates, via linked claim)

Thus the need to routinize, simplify, and differentiate in the context of inequality leads to the institutionalization of the stereotypical tendencies that permeate the society. Whatever prejudices street-level bureaucrats as individuals do or do not have, the structure of their work appears to call for differentiation of the client population, and thus there is structural receptivity to prejudicial attitudes. The need for simplification exists, so to speak, prior to the stereotype. The stereotype is nurtured in a context where it functions to divide up the client population. — Michael Lipsky, Street-Level Bureaucracy, 844 (#complicates, via linked claim)

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Logical categories mirror social hierarchy and division of labor, not solidarity — Theodor W. Adorno, Max Horkheimer, Dialectic of Enlightenment, 43; Social ‘representing’ falls to women because men are bound by productive labor. — Simone de Beauvoir, The Second Sex, 1550; Workplace claims-making power is shaped by race and gender status. — Ken-Hou Lin & Donald Tomaskovic-Devey, Financialization and U.S. Income…, 106 (+21 more)

Broader Connections

• Gender stereotypes both reflect and reproduce the division of labor #corroborates (0.95) — John T. Jost and Jim Sidanius, Political Psychology, 2922
• People spontaneously stereotype groups to rationalize their existing social roles #corroborates (0.95) — John T. Jost and Jim Sidanius, Political Psychology, 2920
• Frontline work structure, not worker prejudice, creates receptivity to stereotypes #complicates (0.80) — Michael Lipsky, Street-Level Bureaucracy, 844
• Gender stereotypes are self-fulfilling, producing the labor divisions they describe #complicates (0.78)