Gender Differences in Walking Preferences

Jenny Braun, Sarah J. Hickman, Jeremy Owens Hanover College 2005

Introduction
Womens bathroom Groups of women walking to class Do women travel in groups more often than men travel in groups?

Research

People in Groups
People need interactions with others to feel a sense of belonging (Baumeister & Leary, 1995) When in a group people feel less anxious and self-aware (Carron, Estabrooks, Prapavessis, & Hausenblas,
1999)

Research (cont.)

Gender Differences in Groups

Women prefer closer proximity to each other than men (Barnard & Bell, 1984) Females value communication with emotional support (Burelson, 2003 ) Males value communication that maintains independence (Burelson, 2003 )

Hypothesis

Women are more likely to walk in groups than men are

Methods

Subjects were observed while they were walking to and from class
On a small, Midwestern college campus

Observer recorded the gender of every person and whether or not the person was traveling alone or in a group

Results

961 observations were collected 60% of the total observations were female 36% of females walked in a group 30% of males walked in a group

Percent Walking in Group

37% 36% 35% 34% 33% 32% 31% 30% 29% 28% 27% 26% 36%

30%

Male

Female

Chi Square(1) = 3.60, p = .058

Same Gender Walking in Group

18% 16% 14% 12% 10% 8% 6% 4% 2% 0% Male Female 11% 16%

Chi Square(1) = 4.08, p = .043

Discussion

Safety Concerns
Women may feel uncomfortable walking alone Women alone are at greater risk than men for robbery and sexual assault Men may feel more comfortable walking alone

Discussion

Gender Roles
Male: agentic Female: communal
Williams & Best, 198

Future Research
Gather research via video camera Gather more varied results

Observe in different locations Urban vs. Rural College-aged vs. Different Age Groups

References
Baumeister, R. F., & Leary, M. R. (1995). The need to belong: Desire for interpersonal attachment as a fundamental human motivation. Psychological Bulletin, 117, 497-529. Berdahl, J. L. & Anderson, Cameron. (2005). Men, women, and leadership centralization in groups over time. Group Dynamics: Theory, Research, and Practice, 9(1), 45-57. Burleson, B. R. (2003). The experience and effects of emotional support: What the Study of cultural and gender differences can tell us about close relationships, emotion and interpersonal communication. Personal Relationships, 10(1), 1-23. Carron, A. V., Estabrooks, P. A., Prapavessis, H., & Hausenblas, H.A. (1999). Reductions in the social anxiety of women associated with group membership: Distraction, anonymity, security, or diffusion of evaluation? Group Dynamics: Theory, Research, and Practice, 3(2), 152-160. Hjorthol, R. (2001). Gendered aspects of time related to everyday journeys. Acta Sociologica, 44(1), 37-49. Leary, M. R., Nezlek, J. B., Downs, D., Radford-Davenport, J., Martin J., & McMullen, A. (1994). Self-presentation in everyday interactions: Effects of target familiarity and gender composition. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 67 (4), 664-673.

References (cont.)
O'Neil, J. M., Helms, B. J., Gable, R. K., David, L., & Wrightsman, L. S. (1986). Gender-role conflict scale: College men's fear of feminity. Connecticut: Plentum Publishing Corporation. Rudman, L. A., Goodwin, S. A. (2004). Gender differences in automatic in-group bias: Why do women like women more than men like men? Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 87(4), 494-509. Sriram, N. (2002). The role of gender, ethnicity, and age in intergroup behavior in a naturalistic setting. Applied Psychology: An International Review, 51(2), 251-265. Timmers, M., Fischer, A. H., & M. A. S.R. (2003). Ability versus The Netherlands: Psychology Press Ltd. Williams, J. E., & Best, D. L. (1990). Sex and psyche: Gender and self viewed cross-culturally. Newbury Park, CA: SAGE Publications.

vulnerability: Beliefs about men's and women's emotional behaviour.