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Moving Beyond Gender to Discover Differences in Sensitivity to Disempowering Acts

An Examination of the Role of Social Context

California State University, Los Angeles

Charles M. Vance

Loyola Marymount University

Claudia Harris

North Carolina Central University

The purpose of this study is to examine levels of perceived offensiveness based on observations of disempowering acts and to identify any differences in perceptions based on gender, ethnicity, and a social context in which respondents held majority versus minority status. Gender emerged as a strong determinant of differences in levels of perceived offensiveness, with women reporting higher levels of perceived offensiveness when viewing disempowering acts than did men. However, when comparing groups of the same ethnicity (i.e., African American) on differences in perceived offensiveness based on social context, social context had a significant effect on perceptions, and men, not women, reported higher levels of perceived offensiveness.

Key Words: disempowerment • perceived offensiveness • social context • gender identity • ethnic identity

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