Can gender inequalities be eliminated?

In previous work we used a conceptualization of "double standards" to develop a theory explaining how similar performances may lead to different levels of attributed ability when performers belong to different status groups (e.g., gender, ethnicity). The theory predicts that the effect of double standards will be reduced when "objective" standards are presented explicitly. Using the dyadic influence paradigm from status characteristics research, we tested three hypotheses: (1) In the absence of performance information, people hold higher performance expectations for males than for females on a "male" task; (2) contradictory information on performance with explicit standards for ability cancels the effect of gender-based expectations; and (3) the size of the performance difference (magnitude of contradiction) is related to the magnitude of difference in expectations. We measured expectation advantage/disadvantage both directly and through its effect on behavior, namely rejection or acceptance of influence. The results support the hypotheses.