When both men and women witness political behavior, they view it negatively if the agent is of their gender and the target is of the opposite gender.

Research on perceptions of political behavior often shows that reactions can vary based on the observer's and participants' gender, but there is no universal rule that people view political behavior negatively only if the agent is of their gender and the target is of the opposite gender. Perceptions can be influenced by a variety of factors including the nature of the behavior, societal norms, and individual biases.