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

Jung, Kiju

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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/50378 Copy

Description

Title

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

Author(s)

Jung, Kiju

Issue Date

2014-09-16

Director of Research (if dissertation) or Advisor (if thesis)

Viswanathan, Madhubalan

Doctoral Committee Chair(s)

Viswanathan, Madhubalan

Committee Member(s)

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

Department of Study

Business Administration

Discipline

Business Administration

Degree Granting Institution

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Degree Name

Ph.D.

Degree Level

Dissertation

Keyword(s)

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

Abstract

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).

Graduation Semester

2014-08

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

Copyright and License Information

Copyright 2014 Kiju Jung

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