College Men’s Experiences of Gender Prejudice

Abstract

Despite evidence suggesting that men’s experiences of gender discrimination are increasing, there has been little research exploring the topic. This article examines college men’s ( N = 145) experiences of gender prejudice and how they respond to the events. Participants most often reported experiencing a hostile or negative comment about men, and the instigators were female and friends or partners of the victim. Most participants reported that they respond by confrontation (70, 48%), followed by a non-behavioral psychological response (34, 23%), non-confrontational response (25, 17%), and not doing anything (16, 11%). Distress level significantly predicted the use of confrontational responses. Clinical and research implications are discussed.