Privacy Expectations and Gender Ideology: Cultural Influences on Communicating Personal Information

• In Event: 579 - Section on Communication, Information Technologies, and Media Sociology Refereed Roundtable Session and Business Meeting
  In Refereed Roundtable 60min: Table 06. Personal

Abstract

Despite increased attention to the concept of privacy, there remains little sociological research on understanding how social factors influence privacy expectations, which are accepted flows of personal information. At the same time, scholars have examined how sex and gender ideology shapes communication, but rarely studied how it influences privacy. We develop a claim that endorsement of hegemonic masculinity prescribes that disclosure of personal information be restricted to the family domain for both males and females. In analyses of the Wisconsin Longitudinal Survey, we found that greater endorsement of hegemonic masculine ideology among respondents 1) increased their likelihood of having only a family member as a confidant; and 2) lowered their trust in physician confidentiality, which is the expectation that a physician uses personal health information appropriately. We found no differences in these findings by respondent sex, indicating the primacy of gender ideology. This research is among the first to document how gender ideology influences privacy expectations. Further, because relying solely on family as confidants and a lack of trust in physician confidentiality are health risks, the study suggests an overlooked reason – privacy expectations – for why masculinity poses dangers to one’s health.

Authors

• Celeste Campos-Castillo, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee

• Stef M. Shuster, Appalachian State University

• Denise L. Anthony, Dartmouth College