Gender-Based Perceptual Biases in Mediation

Abstract

The questions posed in this article are related to gender stereotyping in a simulated mediation context: Do disputants perceive the role effectiveness of men and women mediators differently, and do men and women mediators enact intervention strategies differently during highly control-oriented mediation sessions? To answer these questions one mixed-sex group of subjects was trained to mediate roommate conflicts using an interventionist model of mediation (i.e., highly control oriented), whereas another mixed-sex group received no training. The data revealed that, although the trained mediators used equally controlling strategies, the males were perceived by the disputants as more controlling. In contrast, untrained female mediators were more controlling but they were perceived as less controlling. These results are related to current research in gender stereotyping.