Changing implicit stereotypes helps men see themselves as more caring

Men who were trained to associate communal traits with their own gender subsequently identified more with these traits themselves, according to new research published in Self & Identity.

Caring, empathy, and social connection—collectively referred to as “communion”—are values that enhance well-being and support healthy societies. However, research shows that men consistently identify less with these communal traits than women do, a gender gap that persists despite growing societal emphasis on equality. This pattern raises concerns not only for men’s personal fulfillment but also for broader goals like shared caregiving and gender-balanced workplaces.

Katharina Block and Toni Schmader explored whether implicit gender stereotypes—that is, automatic associations linking women with communal values and men with agentic traits like independence—help explain why men tend to distance themselves from communal traits. Building on balanced identity theory, the authors sought to determine not only whether such stereotypes correlate with men’s self-concept but whether altering them could causally influence how men see themselves.

In Study 1, 188 university students (92 men, 96 women) were recruited from a large North American university and completed a series of Implicit Association Tests (IATs). These IATs measured three things: implicit gender identity (e.g., “me” = “male”), implicit gender stereotypes (e.g., “female” = “communal”), and participants’ implicit communal self-concept (e.g., “me” = “communal”). Stimuli for communal and agentic traits were selected and refined through prior participant ratings. Exploratory explicit measures of career and family preferences were also included.

In Study 2, 129 male undergraduates were randomly assigned to either a stereotypical or counter-stereotypical training condition. Using a retraining version of the IAT, some participants repeatedly saw communal traits paired with “men,” while others saw traditional pairings (communal = women). After the training and a filler task, all participants completed a brief IAT (bIAT) measuring their implicit self-concept, alongside explicit measures of values and gender stereotypes.

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In Study 1, both men and women held implicit stereotypes linking communal traits with women, but only men showed a significantly lower implicit identification with communal values. Importantly, the gender difference in communal self-concept was significantly larger among participants who held stronger communal = female stereotypes. The study also confirmed balanced identity theory’s prediction: self-concept, group identity, and stereotypes formed a statistically coherent triad, supporting the idea that these implicit beliefs are mutually reinforcing.

Study 2 demonstrated that retraining implicit stereotypes can causally shape men’s self-concept. Men who completed the counter-stereotypical training (associating men with communal traits) subsequently showed significantly stronger implicit identification with communal values than those who received traditional training. The effect was moderate-to-large in size (d = 0.61). However, these changes in implicit associations did not translate into changes in explicit self-reports or gender stereotypes.

The authors note that the observed changes in implicit self-concept may be temporary, as the long-term durability of implicit retraining effects remains uncertain.

This research provides evidence that men’s implicit self-concept can be shaped by modifying gender stereotypes, with important implications for interventions aimed at promoting gender equity and broader identification with communal values.

The research, “Me, myself, and my stereotypes: does retraining gender stereotypes change men’s self-concept?”, was authored by Katharina Block and Toni Schmader.