Pro-Social Behavior, Violence and Gender

• In Event: The Role of Gender in Political Violence

Abstract

After exposure to violence, what are the micro-foundations of social concord? We evaluate this question by investigating pro-social or aggressive behavioral changes in response to violence. Recent research on the behavioral consequences of exposure to violence finds mixed results. Some studies find that exposure to violence increases pro-social behavior. Other studies find that exposure to violence increases aggression, or that increases in pro-social behavior in response to violence are conditional at best. In this paper, we argue that exposure to violence causes behavioral changes, but these behavioral responses are conditioned by gender. After being exposed to violence, women behave more pro-socially. By contrast, when men are exposed to violence they behave more aggressively. We test our arguments with in four separate laboratory experiments that leverage six unique measures of either pro-social or aggressive behavior. Results are consistent across almost all experiments. These findings help rectify differential results and have important policy implications.

Authors

• Megan A. Stewart, American University-SIS

• Todd S. Sechser, University of Virginia