Perceptions of Gender Role Discontinuity and Collective Nostalgia for Traditional Gender Relations Shape Men’s Support for Gender Equality

Abstract

Men’s gender roles have changed dramatically over the past few decades. We examined whether the evaluation of this discontinuity in men’s gender roles predicts cis men's attitudes toward gender equality, and whether nostalgic reverie for traditional gender relations mediates this association. Support was found for our hypothesized mediation model across three studies (and an internal meta-analysis of the main effects) conducted in two different countries (United Kingdom and United States): one correlational (N = 333) and two experimental (Ns = 368 and 432, respectively). Specifically, when discontinuity in men’s gender roles (measured or manipulated) was perceived to be negative relative to positive, men expressed greater nostalgia for traditional gender relations, which reduced support for gender equality. Results not only address a gap in understanding the factors that shape men’s attitudes towards gender equality but also inform the development of interventions that promote gender equality and challenge traditional gender roles and gender stereotypes.