Bridging the Racial Divide in the United States: The Effect of Gender

Abstract

Using data for national samples of high school seniors between 1976 and 1992, we examine gender differences in racial attitudes in the United States We find an important effect of gender on social distance attitudes: Females express more favorable attitudes than males, and this gender difference is significantly greater among whites than blacks The gender effect is not explained by gender differences in interracial friendship, religiosity, or political beliefs, We argue that females' greater concern for others and their focus on relationships foster more favorable racial attitudes.