Perceived Economic Inequality as a Driver of a Competitive Normative Climate Between Women and Men

Social psychology research consistently highlights the significant psychological impact of economic inequality on individuals and society. This effect may stem from individuals using their perceptions of inequality as cues to infer their social context's normative climate, frequently associating high economic inequality with increased competition and distrust. Furthermore, economic inequality has been linked to gender-specific processes, such as the prevalence of intimate partner violence against women across countries. This research investigates whether economic inequality shapes the perceived normative climate between women and men and influences perceived competition and trust between and among these gender groups. We employed a multi-method approach, which included a correlational study with a representative Spanish sample (Study 1, N = 1,373) and two experimental studies (Study 2, N = 409; Study 3, N = 253) in which we manipulated perceived economic inequality using a fictional society paradigm. In Study 1, we found a correlation between perceived (though not objective) economic inequality and heightened perceptions of competition between women and men. This finding was consistently replicated in Studies 2 and 3, where experimentally induced high perceived inequality led to increased perceived intergender competition. Study 3 provided further insights, showing that perceiving high inequality reduced perceived cooperation between gender groups, increased competitiveness within genders, and resulted in men being seen as less cooperative. Our results yielded no significant effect of perceived economic inequality on trust between or within the examined gender groups. Overall, these findings underscore that perceptions of economic inequality shape how individuals perceive gender relations, highlighting their potential impact on interactions between women and men.