ABSTRACT
One of the authors of this chapter is an “excellent” athlete. This person is also a woman. She is accorded this label despite the fact that her male teammate, who can hit a softball just as far, throw just as hard, and run just as fast as she, is not. That is, considered “objectively,” the man and woman in this example perform at the same level; at a “subjective” level, however, the woman is judged to be better than the man. It is argued here that this judgment phenomenon is based on the operation of stereotype-based shifting standards—the activation of within-category standards of evaluation to judge members of different groups on stereotype-relevant dimensions. In this example, the stereotype that men are more athletic than women presumably gives rise to the use of different standards or performance expectations to judge a man’s versus a woman’s athleticism. Given the lower (or less demanding) standard of athleticism for women than for men, it is easier for the woman to surpass the standard and, accordingly, to be judged an “excellent” athlete.
