University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Universal dimensions of power and gender: consumption, survival and helping

Jung, Kiju

Content Files
Kiju_Jung.pdf

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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/50378

Description

Title
Universal dimensions of power and gender: consumption, survival and helping
Author(s)
Jung, Kiju
Issue Date
2014-09-16
Director of Research (if dissertation) or Advisor (if thesis)
Viswanathan, Madhubalan
Doctoral Committee Chair(s)
Viswanathan, Madhubalan
Committee Member(s)
  • Wyer, Robert S., Jr.
  • Shavitt, Sharon
  • Albarracin, Dolores
Department of Study
Business Administration
Discipline
Business Administration
Degree Granting Institution
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Degree Name
Ph.D.
Degree Level
Dissertation
Date of Ingest
2014-09-16T17:12:19Z
Keyword(s)
  • Marketing
  • Gender stereotypes
  • Gender
  • Power
  • Public policy
  • Consumption choices
  • Helping
Abstract
There have been numerous approaches to gender and power to better understand human decision making and behaviors, reflecting the multidimensional nature of power and gender as well as their omnipresent influence on human functioning. However, extant research on power and gender has paid singular attention to each of them despite the potential association between them. Considering distinct substantive areas such as consumption, survival, and helping, this dissertation aims to show the dynamic interplay of power and gender in human-human interactions (essay 1) and in the human-nonhuman interactions (essays 2 and 3). Essay 1 examines whether and how individuals’ state of power affects consumption choices for self and others and whether the effect of power on consumption choices is contingent on individuals’ gender and its match or mismatch with the other’s gender. Essay 2 examines how people respond to a powerful natural force which is gendered through its assigned name (hurricane) in the context of preparedness and survival. One archival study and six lab experiments provide converging evidence that people judge hurricane risks in the context of gender-based expectations and female-named hurricanes elicit less preparedness and more fatalities than do male-named hurricanes. Essay 3 demonstrates that the gender of victims and the gender of hurricanes combine to influence individuals’ helping for victims. Three lab experiments show that a female victim receives more aid than a male victim when the gender of a hurricane is made salient and its assigned name is masculine (vs. feminine). This dissertation contributes to our understanding of how power and gender interact and how they combine to influence individuals’ behaviors, with implications for various stakeholders such as marketers (essay 1), social marketers (essay 3), policymakers and media practitioners (essay 2) and consumers (essay 1, 2 and 3).
Graduation Semester
2014-08
Permalink
http://hdl.handle.net/2142/50378
Copyright and License Information
Copyright 2014 Kiju Jung

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