Mat á sérfræðiáliti eftir kyni sérfræðings: Tilraun meðal almennings á Íslandi

Abstract

The aim of this study was to examine Icelanders’ tendency to evaluate expert opinion on the basis of the expert’s gender, as many international studies report a tendency to evaluate women’s expert opinion as less important than men’s expert opinion. In this study, an experimental design was used to assess whether this tendency exists in Iceland. A survey was administered to a sample from the Social Science Research Institute’s online panel where the gender of the expert, whom the participants were asked to rate, was randomly assigned (male or female). Participants read an interview with an “expert” and were then asked to rate the expert’s qualifications and express their opinions on matters that the experts discussed in the interview. The results indicate a slight tendency to evaluate expert opinion on the basis of gender. There were no differences in ratings of the qualification of a pediatrician and a financial consultant depending on the expert’s gender, which is probably due Icelanders having become as accustomed to female experts as male experts. However, opinions towards matters discussed by the financial consultant were affected by the consultant’s gender, as female consultants were found to be more persuasive, contrary to what was expected.