Pets, Gender, and Bias: The Interplay of Pet Attitudes and Gender Perceptions
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Start Date
23-4-2026 12:00 AM
Description
Patriarchal cultures may enforce misogyny through both explicit and implicit measures. Animal symbolism has at times been used to express such implicit negative biases in the United States (Gruen & Probyn-Rapsey, 2018). Women and cats have been heavily associated in American culture, and cat-related traits and terms have been used to dehumanize and ostracize women historically (Alex, 2024; Gruen & Probyn-Rapsey, 2018). In consideration, the current study was designed to investigate a possible association between cat-hate and misogyny. Cat-hate was scored using a modified Pet Attitude Scale (PAS-M; Munsell et al., 2004) and gender bias was measured through an Implicit Association Test (IAT) I created. I hypothesized an association between women and cats and a tendency for those who dislike women to dislike cats. Results showed that cats are associated with femininity, but not necessarily with women, and that there is a small but positive relationship between misogyny and cat-hate. With these findings alone, it may be concluded that the relationship between women, misogyny, cats, and cat-hate is weak and not a legitimate indirect measure of misogyny. This may imply that cultural stereotypes do not always relate directly or indirectly to prejudiced attitudes, but they are still important to consider.
Recommended Citation
DeKock, Kay, "Pets, Gender, and Bias: The Interplay of Pet Attitudes and Gender Perceptions" (2026). 2026 Student Academic Showcase. 4.
https://digitalcommons.lindenwood.edu/src_2026/oral_presentation/1/4
Pets, Gender, and Bias: The Interplay of Pet Attitudes and Gender Perceptions
Patriarchal cultures may enforce misogyny through both explicit and implicit measures. Animal symbolism has at times been used to express such implicit negative biases in the United States (Gruen & Probyn-Rapsey, 2018). Women and cats have been heavily associated in American culture, and cat-related traits and terms have been used to dehumanize and ostracize women historically (Alex, 2024; Gruen & Probyn-Rapsey, 2018). In consideration, the current study was designed to investigate a possible association between cat-hate and misogyny. Cat-hate was scored using a modified Pet Attitude Scale (PAS-M; Munsell et al., 2004) and gender bias was measured through an Implicit Association Test (IAT) I created. I hypothesized an association between women and cats and a tendency for those who dislike women to dislike cats. Results showed that cats are associated with femininity, but not necessarily with women, and that there is a small but positive relationship between misogyny and cat-hate. With these findings alone, it may be concluded that the relationship between women, misogyny, cats, and cat-hate is weak and not a legitimate indirect measure of misogyny. This may imply that cultural stereotypes do not always relate directly or indirectly to prejudiced attitudes, but they are still important to consider.