Abstract:
The purpose of this research was to examine the relationships between gender, physical attractiveness, attitudes toward women, and sexual attribution bias. Participants were 240 undergraduate students of both genders. They were randomly assigned into 4 experimental conditions by being shown a photograph of either an attractive or unattractive and of the same sex or the opposite sex person. Then they were requested to read paragraphs describing a successful story of the man or woman in the photograph. Participants were asked to rate the person in the photograph on the attribution of success scale and to complete the Attitudes Toward Women Scale (AWS).
The results are as follows:
1. Males attribute men’s success to internal causes more than women’s (p < .001), and females
attribute men’s success to internal causes more than women’s (p < .05).
2. Unattractive same sex persons receive an internal attribution of success more than attractive
same sex persons (p < .001).
3. Attractive opposite sex persons receive an internal attribution of success more than
unattractive opposite sex persons (p < .001).
4. High AWS persons attribute men’s success to internal causes to the same extent as
women’s success, but low AWS persons attribute men’s success to internal causes more
than women’s success (p < .05).
5. Attitudes toward women does not correlate with the attribution of women’s success to internal
causes.
6. Attitudes toward women does not correlate with the attribution of men’s success to internal
causes.
7. Females score higher than males in attitudes toward women (p < .05).