Does your job make you guilty? Comparative analysis between the US and Nordic countries on the influence of gender roles in perceived guilt and sentencing outcomes

Sammanfattning: Despite a global increase in gender equality, intimate partner violence (IPV) still plagues all nations. Moreover, IPV is still a heavily stereotyped crime where women are victims and men are perpetrators. Due to the gendered nature of IPV, information that either conforms or deviates from gender expectations can change the perceptions of perpetrators and victims of IPV. The present study investigated the potential influence of implicit gender bias through gendered occupations on intimate partner homicides. Participants (N = 173) read four vignettes that detailed two intimate partner homicides where a man killed a woman and two “regular” homicides where a man killed another man. Then, they rated how guilty they perceived the defendant, what punishment they believed he deserved, what punishment they believed he would receive in a real court, and if they believe that punishment was fair. The results show that defendants with feminine-coded occupations were seen as more guilty and given harsher sentences in regular homicides than defendants with masculine or neutral-coded occupations. Nordic participants viewed defendants as more guilty and gave them harsher punishments than American participants in general. Finally, women gave defendants harsher punishments and viewed defendants in intimate partner homicides as more guilty than men. Results imply the potential that subtle information regarding gender roles may be influential in judgement and decision-making processes within legal contexts. Future studies should further examine the potential for gender stereotyped traits to influence perceptions and judgements in criminal cases.