Abstract
Research has shown that economic inequality and gender inequality go hand in hand. According to Oxfam (2024), Italy has a high level of economic inequality: the richest 1% of the population is 84 times richer than the poorest 20%, which is mainly composed of women. This article presents an experimental study (N = 478) exploring an integrated model in which both emotional and cognitive mechanisms explain the effect of economic inequality on salary requests, among Italian women and men. Results showed that the salience (vs. control) of economic inequality motivated women (but not men) to advance higher salary requests because it (a) increased negative emotions, which, in turn, (b) reduced perceptions of the stability of gender hierarchy (i.e., perceptions that gender-based disparities are unchangeable). These findings provide evidence for novel theoretical insights about the interdependence of emotions and cognitions and potential pathways to reduce gender economic inequality, thereby facilitating social change. Implications and avenues for future research are discussed.
Public significance statement
Disparities between men and women are intertwined with economic imbalances in society. This research shows that making economic inequality salient motivated women, but not men, to advance higher salary requests because they experienced increased negative emotions and perceived gender hierarchy as changeable. Results suggest that policymakers and advocates for social change should design interventions that raise emotional awareness of inequality, while also emphasizing that gender hierarchy is unstable, as this combination fosters greater motivation in women to engage in change-oriented actions.