ABSTRACT
P ower disparities between groups are characteristic of human societies, regardless of their era, culture, economic system, or form of government. Far-reaching cross-cultural evidence shows that group-based inequality is ubiquitous, universal, and much more enduring than unstable (Sidanius & Pratto, 1999). Among the most prominent of the social forces contributing to the maintenance of power disparities are the ideological messages that work to legitimize hierarchy by masking group dominance or making it appear just and natural (Jackman, 1994).
