Universal dimensions of power and gender: consumption, survival and helping

There have been numerous approaches to gender and power to better understand human decision making and behaviors, reflecting the multidimensional nature of power and gender as well as their omnipresent influence on human functioning. However, extant research on power and gender has paid singular attention to each of them despite the potential association between them. Considering distinct substantive areas such as consumption, survival, and helping, this dissertation aims to show the dynamic interplay of power and gender in human-human interactions (essay 1) and in the human-nonhuman interactions (essays 2 and 3). Essay 1 examines whether and how individuals’ state of power affects consumption choices for self and others and whether the effect of power on consumption choices is contingent on individuals’ gender and its match or mismatch with the other’s gender. Essay 2 examines how people respond to a powerful natural force which is gendered through its assigned name (hurricane) in the context of preparedness and survival. One archival study and six lab experiments provide converging evidence that people judge hurricane risks in the context of gender-based expectations and female-named hurricanes elicit less preparedness and more fatalities than do male-named hurricanes. Essay 3 demonstrates that the gender of victims and the gender of hurricanes combine to influence individuals’ helping for victims. Three lab experiments show that a female victim receives more aid than a male victim when the gender of a hurricane is made salient and its assigned name is masculine (vs. feminine). This dissertation contributes to our understanding of how power and gender interact and how they combine to influence individuals’ behaviors, with implications for various stakeholders such as marketers (essay 1), social marketers (essay 3), policymakers and media practitioners (essay 2) and consumers (essay 1, 2 and 3).

Name thesis:degree_name

Ph.D.

Level thesis:degree_level

Dissertation

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Business Administration

Grantor

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Year dc:date

2014

Author dc:creator

• Jung, Kiju

Contributors dc:contributor

• Viswanathan, Madhubalan
• Wyer, Robert S., Jr.
• Shavitt, Sharon
• Albarracin, Dolores

• Marketing
• Gender stereotypes
• Gender
• Power
• Public policy
• Consumption choices
• Helping

Statement dc:rights

• Copyright 2014 Kiju Jung

Language dc:language

en

Handle dc:identifier

http://hdl.handle.net/2142/50378

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:www.ideals.illinois.edu:2142/50378