Unraveling gender norms: Social and personal norms in the preferential promotion of women

Abstract

Gender norms are a major barrier to achieving equality in the labor market. This study investigates the role of gender norms on attitudes towards preferentially promoting women to senior-level positions. Using an information provision experiment (N = 1,360), we test whether providing information that targets social or personal norms influences attitudes and behavior towards promoting women. We find that respondents underestimate the overall level of support for affirmative action in the U.S. However, neither the social nor personal norm interventions were effective in changing attitudes towards preferentially promoting women. These null effects are precisely measured and do not result from an underpowered study. We find evidence that Republican respondents are less likely to promote female candidates when exposed to information about the increasing proportion of U.S. citizens in favor of preferential promotion policies, i.e., when we target social norms. These results suggest that customized interventions or legislative changes addressing norms may be more effective strategies than general informational campaigns.