Did you know that economic inequality can influence how we view relationships between women and men? A new study conducted by CIMCYC researchers Sabina de León, Rosa Rodríguez Bailón, Pilar Pérez Álvarez and Jesús López Megías confirms that it does. Specifically, when we perceive economic resources to be distributed very unequally, we tend to view relationships between women and men as more competitive and less cooperative.
Why was this study conducted?
In recent decades, economic inequality—the distribution of resources between those who have the most and those who have the least—has grown in many societies. This trend has sparked broad research interest into its social consequences. Beyond its financial impact, how does this inequality shape our social relationships?
When economic inequality is high, people use that gap as a signal of how their social environment operates. High inequality leads people to view their surroundings as marked by greater competition and lower trust. However, a key question arises: competition and mistrust toward whom, exactly? Because gender plays a fundamental role in daily interactions, this study examined how the perception of economic inequality influences competition, cooperation and trust between women and men.
How was the research carried out?
The team conducted three studies with participants in Spain to test whether perceiving or imagining a society as more economically unequal changes how people view relationships between women and men:
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Study 1 (1,373 participants): Evaluated the extent to which participants perceived economic inequality in Spain and whether they observed competition between women and men in the country.
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Studies 2 and 3 (over 600 participants total): Participants read descriptions of hypothetical societies featuring different levels of economic inequality. They then rated the extent to which they believed women and men in those societies competed with one another.
What were the findings?
The main results showed:
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Greater Perceived Competition: Individuals who perceived higher economic inequality were more likely to view relationships between women and men as characterized by greater competition.
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Lower Perceived Cooperation: Those who perceived higher economic inequality were also more likely to view relationships between women and men as characterized by less cooperation.
Why do these results matter?
This research demonstrates that economic inequality extends far beyond financial metrics, actively shaping how we conceptualize gender dynamics. In societies perceived as more economically unequal, relationships between women and men are viewed as more competitive and less cooperative.
These findings build on growing evidence regarding the negative social impacts of economic inequality, underscoring the importance of reducing inequality and addressing how it is perceived by the public.
Finally, these findings raise an important question for future reflection: What consequences might this perceived competition have for actual relationships and daily interactions between women and men?
Reference
De-León-de-León, S., Rodríguez-Bailón, R., Pérez-Álvarez, P., & Megías, J. L. (2026). Perceived Economic Inequality as a Driver of a Competitive Normative Climate Between Women and Men. Journal of Pacific Rim Psychology, 20. https://doi.org/10.1177/1834490925141076
Contact
Sabina De León - @email