Gender Identity and Gender Salience: a Dual-Path, Person-Situation Approach to Gender Effects in Consumer Research

ABSTRACT - Although gender has a major impact on consumer behavior, the detection of its effects in consumer research may be limited by how it is conceived. To provide a fuller theoretical account of gender's impact, this paper examines it in symbolic interactionist terms involving two distinct, but interrelated paths: (1) a person-trait path keyed by gender identity that has been widely studied and (2) a relatively ignored, situational path in which gender becomes salient under certain conditions and which often involves within-person differences. A joint typological model in which both paths interact is also outlined. Finally, research implications are drawn for both paths.

Citation:

Stephen J. Gould (1996) ,"Gender Identity and Gender Salience: a Dual-Path, Person-Situation Approach to Gender Effects in Consumer Research", in NA - Advances in Consumer Research Volume 23, eds. Kim P. Corfman and John G. Lynch Jr., Provo, UT : Association for Consumer Research, Pages: 478-483.