Are we truly evaluating everyone by the same yardstick? This article explores the pervasive phenomenon of double standards for competence, where different requirements are applied when assessing individuals based on factors like status characteristics. Gender and ethnicity can significantly influence the assessment of competence. Focusing on task groups, the review examines how status characteristics (e.g., gender, ethnicity, socioeconomic class) lead to stricter standards for lower-status individuals. It also discusses other factors, such as personality characteristics and allocated rewards, that contribute to this practice. The review goes on to describe double standards in inferring other valued attributes (e.g., beauty, morality) and examines their relationship to competence double standards. This article concludes with a discussion of "reverse" double standards, where more lenient ability standards are applied to lower-status individuals. This analysis has implications for understanding social inequality, bias, and discrimination in various settings.
Published in the Annual Review of Sociology, this article perfectly aligns with the journal's objective of providing comprehensive overviews of significant topics within the field of sociology. By exploring the theory and research on double standards for competence, this review offers a valuable synthesis of knowledge, contributing to a deeper understanding of social inequality and bias.