THE ROLE OF GENDER IDEOLOGY AND ESSENTIALIST BELIEFS IN REDUCING ANTI-TRANSGENDER PREJUDICE By MORGAN A. CONWAY A DISSERTATION PRESENTED TO THE GRADUATE SCHOOL OF THE UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA 2018 1 © 2018 Morgan A. Conway 2 To my friends and family 3 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I thank my family, my friends, and my partner Tessa for their support, generosity, and kindness. 4 TABLE OF CONTENTS page ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ...............................................................................................................4 LIST OF TABLES ...........................................................................................................................8 ABSTRACT .....................................................................................................................................9 CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................................................11 Prejudice against Transgender People ....................................................................................11 Transphobia and Attitudes toward Transgender People .........................................................12 Traditional Gender Role Ideology and Prejudice against Transgender People ......................12 Essentialism and Prejudice against Transgender People ........................................................13 Overview of Current Studies ..................................................................................................14 2 STUDY 1 ................................................................................................................................17 Method ....................................................................................................................................17 Participants ......................................................................................................................17 Materials ..........................................................................................................................17 Gender role manipulation .........................................................................................17 Outcome variables ....................................................................................................18 Procedure .........................................................................................................................19 Results.....................................................................................................................................20 Discussion ...............................................................................................................................21 3 STUDY 2 ................................................................................................................................26 Method ....................................................................................................................................26 Participants ......................................................................................................................26 Materials ..........................................................................................................................26 Gender role manipulation .........................................................................................26 Outcome variables ....................................................................................................27 Procedure .........................................................................................................................28 Results.....................................................................................................................................28 Discussion ...............................................................................................................................29 4 STUDY 3 ................................................................................................................................33 Method ....................................................................................................................................33 Participants ......................................................................................................................33 Materials ..........................................................................................................................33 Gender role manipulation .........................................................................................33 Outcome variables ....................................................................................................34 5 Procedure .........................................................................................................................35 Results.....................................................................................................................................36 Discussion ...............................................................................................................................37 5 STUDY 4 ................................................................................................................................40 Method ....................................................................................................................................40 Participants ......................................................................................................................40 Materials ..........................................................................................................................40 Gender role manipulation ................................................................................................40 Outcome variables ....................................................................................................40 Procedure ..................................................................................................................41 Results.....................................................................................................................................41 Discussion ...............................................................................................................................42 6 STUDY 5 ................................................................................................................................46 Method ....................................................................................................................................46 Participants ......................................................................................................................46 Materials ..........................................................................................................................46 Gender role manipulation .........................................................................................46 Outcome variables ....................................................................................................46 Procedure ..................................................................................................................47 Results.....................................................................................................................................47 Discussion ...............................................................................................................................48 7 STUDY 6 ................................................................................................................................51 Method ....................................................................................................................................51 Participants ......................................................................................................................51 Materials ..........................................................................................................................51 Outcome Variables ..........................................................................................................51 Results.....................................................................................................................................52 Discussion ...............................................................................................................................53 8 DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS ..................................................................................56 Discussion ...............................................................................................................................56 Conclusion ..............................................................................................................................62 APPENDIX A STUDY 1 MANIPULATION ................................................................................................63 B GENDER ROLE BELIEFS SCALE: SHORT FORM (USED IN STUDY 1) ......................66 C ESSENTIALIST BELIEFS SCALE (USED IN STUDY 1) ..................................................67 6 D MANIPULATIONS USED IN STUDY 2 .............................................................................69 E SOCIAL ROLES QUESTIONNAIRE (USED IN STUDIES 2, 3, 4, AND 6) ......................70 F GENDER DETERMINISM SCALE (USED IN STUDY 2) .................................................71