Trait judgments of stay-at-home and employed parents: A function of social role and/or shifting standards?

Primarily middle-class, White college students (n = 484) read a brief description of a stay-at-home or employed mother or father, estimated how often the target performed several parenting behaviors, and rated her/him on communion and parenting effectiveness. Results showed that respondents estimated more parenting behaviors for mothers than fathers in both roles, gave stay-at-home mothers and fathers similar trait ratings, and viewed employed mothers as lower in communion and parenting effectiveness than fathers. The behavioural findings indicate that social role does not override the effect of gender on trait judgements. It is likely that the observed null and counterstereotypical effects of gender are due to the operation of shifting standards of judgement that reflect within-gender expectations.