Sexism and antisemitism as experienced by canadian jewish women: Results of a national study

Abstract

This paper reports on a national survey of Canadian Jewish women, focussing on their experiences of antisemitism and sexism and the relationship between these experiences and individuals' scores on the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-II). A random sample of women from across Canada ( N =364) were interviewed by phone, using a 75-item questionnaire developed by this researcher, and they also completed the BDI. The data reported on here was analyzed quantitatively. The results of this study show that both sexism and antisemitism are painful and problematic for many Canadian Jewish women. However, the two phenomena appear to have different relationships to mental health. Having had many antisemitic experiences in one's life was related to a higher depression score, whereas having had many sexist experiences was not. This underscores the need for further research on intersecting oppressions which elucidates the relative contributions of each kind of oppression to the overall dual (or multiple) oppression that women experience. It also points to the importance of including materials on antisemitism along with those on racism and other forms of oppression when teaching about women and oppression in Women's Studies programs.