Interplay of class and gender may influence social judgments differently between cultures

• Certain markers of high status may more strongly boost attitudes toward women versus men, and low status markers may more strongly worsen attitudes toward men versus women-with both findings more pronounced in countries with more conservative gender norms. • Marie Isabelle Weißflog of Ruhr-Universität Bochum, Germany, and the University of York, U.K., and colleagues present these findings in the open-access journal PLOS One on February 18, 2026.

Article Summaries:

• Certain markers of high status may more strongly boost attitudes toward women versus men, and low status markers may more strongly worsen attitudes toward men versus women-with both findings more pronounced in countries with more conservative gender norms. Marie Isabelle Weißflog of Ruhr-Universität Bochum, Germany, and the University of York, U.K., and colleagues present these findings in the open-access journal PLOS One on February 18, 2026.

Sources:

• https://phys.org/news/2026-02-interplay-class-gender-social-judgments.html