Gender disparity in political leadership is seldom cast as the overrepresentation of men (71 percent in the United States and worldwide). Rather, in public discourse, the gender imbalance in positions of power is framed as the underrepresentation of women. Social psychologists at the New York University Social Perception, Action, and Motivation Lab find in their 2024 study, “Women underrepresented or men overrepresented?” Framing the gender gap in political leadership as “men’s overrepresentation” heightens emotional reactions and motivates efforts for change.
Too many men or too few women?
The researchers suggest that flipping the percentages has a significant impact on attitudes and action because people may have become habituated to reports of the disparity. Lab director Emily Balcetis explains, “While most Americans acknowledge that gender diversity in leadership is important, taking the same statistics, that 29 percent of Congress is female, and saying instead that 71 percent of Congress is male, elicits stronger emotional responses and spurs people to do something to increase access to leadership for men and women.”
The research, published in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, indicates that flipping the numbers increases perceptions that the gap is unjust, making women angry and motivating them to act to narrow it.
The Effect of Anger
Women’s anger at the disparity is associated with several behaviors supporting policies for change. These include collective action to advance gender parity and related policies. Research participants commit time to reading stories about how to change the status quo, writing stronger letters to their congressional representative in support of proposed legislation addressing gender disparity, and showing a stronger desire to donate to gender-bias reduction programs. They stated willingness to write social-media posts and to act in the face of material or relationship costs, even if that action could harm future job prospects.
Further Findings
- Women’s perception of the gender discrepancy applies only to political leadership. Business leadership disparities, when reframed, are unaffected.
- The research finds only weak evidence that the changed framing elicits backlash, an anger response to the actual rhetorical framing.
- The reframed messaging did not increase men’s anger at the disparity.
- The impact of the framing is not influenced by whether the social climate is hostile or supportive of women’s causes.
“Framing the gender gap in politics as due to men’s advantages—in this case, men’s overrepresentation—as opposed to women’s disadvantages—their underrepresentation—not only affects how women view this concern, but also prompts action to combat it,” concludes lead author Usman Liaquat, a social psychologist at Cornell University.
