Social perception of counterstereotypical images of parents

Abstract

The article presents direct comparisons of perceived femininity and masculinity of men and women who fulfill their family roles in an untraditional way, in a gendered situation of transition to parenthood. A convenient sample of 120 people (incl. 61 females) took part in the study. Participants assessed four pictures presenting two men (feeding a baby) and two women (in the workplace context) in respect of their popularity and femininity/masculinity. The images were accompanied by short descriptions of professionally successful women and men primary child care-givers. Results indicated that female targets were perceived as less feminine and more masculine than men. Men prefer the male targets more than the female ones.