Am I more stressed because I'm aware of being a woman? The impact of gender identity salience on women's cardiovascular responses to stress

Objectives: This study aimed to investigate how which social identity is salient affects physiological responses to stress in women. Specifically, we examined whether gender identity salience, compared to university student identity salience, would lead to significant differences in cardiovascular responses during a math stress task. Design: We conducted a between-subjects experiment, where participants were randomly assigned to either a gender identity salience condition or a university student identity salience condition. Methods: Ninety-six female participants completed the math stress task. Blood pressure (systolic and diastolic) and heart rate were measured to assess physiological responses to stress. Results: Women in the gender identity condition exhibited significantly higher systolic and diastolic blood pressure responses compared to those in the student identity condition. No significant differences in heart rate were observed between conditions. Conclusions: These findings suggest that gender identity salience amplifies physiological stress responses in women, providing insights into how group-related processes impact health outcomes. This study highlights the importance of considering identity salience in understanding women's cardiovascular response to stress.