Americans’ misperceptions of gender economic equality

In light of growing awareness of widespread economic inequality, we examined perceptions of economic equality between men and women. In Study 1, participants reported their estimates of gender equality in the past (1973) and more recently (2011) for men and women in general, among high school and college graduates, and with respect to having employer provided insurance. Participants overestimated gender equality in the past and present and progress toward gender equality. Almost 30% of the Study 1 sample reported that the average woman earned more than the average man in 2011. As hypothesized, men were more likely to overestimate gender equality than women. Unexpectedly, participants of color were more likely to overestimate gender equality than Whites. In Study 2, a balanced sample of men and women and Whites and people of color accurately estimated gender income equality in the past, but overestimated gender income equality in the present and progress toward gender income equality. Participants of color, again, overestimated gender equality in the present. To clarify this latter finding, we recruited Black, Latino, and White men participants in Study 3. They estimated gender equality at 7 timepoints between 1973 to 2011. No consistent racial difference emerged in this study, but overall, participants underestimated gender equality in the past and began to overestimate gender equality from 2000 on. Ultimately, this research suggests that people vastly overestimate contemporary gender economic equality in the United States, which may have implications for garnering support for policies that would address pay disparities.