Benevolent Sexist Attitudes Research Articles

Help-seeking for Social Anxiety symptoms in Ghana: Looking through the lens of sexist attitudes

While health research has demonstrated the influence of cultural disparities on health outcomes, the impact of ambivalent sexism on mental health help-seeking has not been well understood. We investigated the links between sexist attitudes, Mental Health Literacy (MHL), and sociodemographic variables regarding symptoms of Social Anxiety among Ghanaians. In 2021, we recruited 601 Ghanaians to participate in an online vignette-based experimental study. Respondents were randomly assigned to two conditions (i.e., male, and female vignettes) depicting symptoms of Social Anxiety for a hypothetical person. Participants provided their impression of the hypothetical person and further completed self-report measures. Regarding help-seeking for the symptoms of Social Anxiety, results revealed that age positively predicted professional help-seeking among men assigned to the male condition, while age negatively predicted social support among women in the same condition. Education was found to relate positively to professional and social support help-seeking options but was negatively linked with spiritual help-seeking. Benevolent sexist attitudes towards women related to the endorsement of professional help-seeking, but participants with benevolent sexist attitudes towards men were less likely to recommend social support. Findings imply that optimal interventions for mental health could benefit from understanding help-seeking patterns, idioms of psychological distress and the cultural settings of individuals.

108 Experiences of benevolent sexism and the well-being of Latinx women: The moderating role of sexist attitudes

OBJECTIVES/GOALS: Sexism harms women’s well-being, affecting life satisfaction and self-doubt in complex ways (Shattell etal., 2008; Oswald etal., 2018). This study examines how hostile and benevolent sexist attitudes moderates the link between experiences of benevolent sexism, self-doubt, and life satisfaction in Latinx women. METHODS/STUDY POPULATION: Participants included 57 English-speaking Latinx women residing in the United States, with a mean age of 31.89 (SD=10.14) years. The majority (61.4%, n=35) identified as Mexican, and most identified as second generation or later (80.7%, n=46). Participants completed surveys assessing hostile and benevolent sexist attitudes (Glick & Fiske, 1996), self-doubt (Oleson etal., 2000), life satisfaction (Diener etal., 1985), and experiences with three aspects of benevolent sexism – protective paternalism (PP), heterosexual intimacy (HI), and complimentary gender differentiation (CGD) (Oswald etal., 2018). RESULTS/ANTICIPATED RESULTS: Moderation analyses were conducted to examine the moderating role of hostile and benevolent sexist attitudes between experiences of benevolent sexism (PP, HI, & CGD) and well-being measures (self-doubt and life satisfaction). An example finding revealed a significant interaction effect between benevolent sexist attitudes and experiences with CGD on satisfaction with lifeF(1,53)=8.34,p<.01. For participants who endorsed high benevolent sexist attitudes, experiences with CGD was associated with increased satisfaction with life (b=.78, p<.001), while the effect of experiences with CGD on life satisfaction was attenuated for those who endorsed low benevolent sexist attitudes (b=.30, p<.05). DISCUSSION/SIGNIFICANCE: These findings have important implications on the well-being of Latinx women as they indicate that those who reject sexist attitudes risk their well-being when confronted with benevolent sexism, unlike those who endorse to such beliefs, potentially gaining increased life satisfaction at the cost of embracing benevolent sexist behavior.

Ambivalent Sexism Explored: A Theoretical Examination of Gender Roles in The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides

This article explores the portrayal of sexism in Michaelides's novel, The Silent Patient, using a gendered approach and drawing on Glick and Fiske's ambivalent sexism theory. This research aims to analyze the frequency and types of sexist depictions in the novel, particularly focusing on Hostile and Benevolent sexist attitudes. The analysis delves into the underlying dichotomy between Hostile and Benevolent attitudes towards the female characters, Alicia and Kathy. It also explores the contrasting representations of weakness and dependence associated with Alicia and Kathy, juxtaposed with the strength, resilience, and agency embodied by characters like Theo, Gabrielle, and the doctors at the Groove. Additionally, the prevalence of paternalism, gender differentiation, and heterosexuality as components of Hostile and Benevolent sexism is investigated to identify the dominant characteristic. By emphasizing the depiction of Hostile and Benevolent sexist attitudes, this research contributes to the ongoing efforts to challenge and dismantle gender stereotypes.

The Impact of Ambivalent Sexism and Related Factors

This article explores the impact of ambivalent sexist attitudes at the national, social, and individual levels. To begin from the definition, development, and significance of ambivalent sexism theory, by exploring the perceptions of hostile and benevolent sexist attitudes on male and female beliefs about well-being, life satisfaction, parenting responsibilities and housework assignments, and interpersonal status and behavioral responses to study society's pervasive ideology of poor outcomes between women's identities and successful performance in roles. It is important to note that both benevolent and hostile sexism harm gender equality because they harm men, women, and non-binary people based on traditional gender stereotypes that mask social biases, and even these normative standards of behavior can further promote gender bias. This study explores the impact of ambivalent sexism on male and female individuals and their relationships, hoping to contribute some theoretical research to future science development and progress, thereby promoting the spread of gender egalitarianism.

The Influence of Perceiver and Target Race in Hostile and Benevolent Sexist Attitudes

The Influence of Perceiver and Target Race in Hostile and Benevolent Sexist Attitudes

Voy a tocarte toa: preferences for sexist music and sexist attitudes predict unwanted sexual attention harassment (Voy a tocarte toa: las preferencias para la música sexista y las actitudes sexistas predicen atención sexual no deseada)

ABSTRACT The music genres reggaeton and dembow have attained worldwide popularity. Their song lyrics and music videos often display sexually explicit contents, conveying the sexual objectification and degradation of women. To test possible effects of this content on sexually harassing behaviour, Dominican males were randomly assigned to watch reggaeton music videos (n = 34), dembow music videos (n = 31) or no videos (n = 32). Afterwards, two forms of sexually harassing behaviour towards a (computer-simulated) woman, gender harassment and unwanted sexual attention, were assessed using a computer chat paradigm. Participants’ short-term mating orientation, hostile and benevolent sexist attitudes, acceptance of modern myths about sexual aggression (AMMSA), music preferences and previous exposure to sexist music were also assessed. Results did not show any effects of the music video manipulation on harassing behaviour but revealed correlational links among music preferences, short-term mating orientation, AMMSA, sexist attitudes and displays of unwanted sexual attention. Results are discussed in relation to previous research on the effects of music and attitudinal predictors of sexual harassment conducted in Europe and the USA.

High school students’ sexist beliefs about academic abilities and women’s roles: the influence of school specialization (Creencias sexistas de los estudiantes de enseñanza secundaria sobre las aptitudes académicas y el rol de las mujeres: la influencia de la especialización escolar)

ABSTRACT The present study analyses the influence of gender and type of baccalaureate pathway on students’ beliefs about the respective abilities of girls and boys in gender-congruent subjects, controlling for ambivalent sexism. Eight hundred and sixty-six students (M = 17.5, SD = 0.83) enrolled in the second course of high school participated. Students on the science pathway were more likely to believe that boys perform better in maths, physical science and technology, and that girls perform better in literature, biology and languages. Boys and girls in gender-congruent pathways were more likely to consider boys to have greater abilities in maths, physical science and technology, whereas girls in languages, biology and literature. Moreover, students’ attitudes towards boys’ ability to perform better in maths, physical science and technology depended to a great extent on ambivalent sexist attitudes, whereas students’ sexist attitudes regarding girls’ greater abilities in literature, biology and languages depended on benevolent sexist attitudes alone.

Understanding Ambivalent Sexism and its Relationship with Electoral Choice in Britain

AbstractWe investigate the prevalence and correlates of sexism in the British political context, using a measure of ambivalent sexism that distinguishes between hostile and benevolent sexist attitudes. Drawing on original data from two nationally representative online surveys, we find that more than half of the population hold some sexist attitudes and that these are predicted by gender, education, religiosity and authoritarian values. We demonstrate that the most significant division in sexist attitudes within the British electorate falls along political rather than gender lines, with men and women expressing more similar views about sexism than either Conservative and Labour voters, or Leave and Remain supporters. We also find that endorsing hostile sexism is associated with voting Conservative in the 2019 general election, even after controlling for sociodemographic characteristics and political values. Our findings reveal that sexism is important for political competition in contexts where gender is not obviously salient.

‘Congratulations for your day’: benevolent attitudes during March 8 in Mexico

ABSTRACT Sexist attitudes reinforce gender inequality, but, are they absent on Women’s Day? This research examines the extent to which, in some contexts, Women’s Day can activate sexist attitudes that reinforce structural inequalities between men and women. Based on ambivalent sexism theory, we propose that people are more likely to agree with benevolent sexist attitudes on Women’s Day than on any other day. In Study 1 (N=190) we measured sexist attitudes on Women’s Day and then one month later. We found that participants asked on Women’s Day reported more benevolent sexism than participants asked a month later. Benevolent sexism was stronger on Women’s Day for men (who scored higher for both hostile and benevolent sexism than women). In order to establish causality, in Study 2 (N=175) we used an experimental paradigm in which we made Women’s Day more salient (against the control condition). Results showed that participants assigned to the Women’s Day experimental condition indicated more support for benevolent sexist attitudes than those assigned to the control condition and again (men scored higher on both dimensions of sexism across both conditions). This research provides evidence of the potential unintended effects of International Women’s Day and the challenges that women still face.

Intimate Partner Cyberstalking, Sexism, Pornography, and Sexting in Adolescents: New Challenges for Sex Education.

Background: Within the context of the widespread use of technologies by adolescents, the objectives of this study were to identify the perpetrators of intimate partner cyberstalking (IPCS) in adolescents; to analyze the relationship between IPCS and gender, age, sexting behaviors, pornography consumption, and ambivalent sexism; and to investigate the influence of the study variables as predictors of IPCS and determine their moderating role. Methods: Participants were 993 Spanish students of Secondary Education, 535 girls and 458 boys with mean age 15.75 (SD = 1.47). Of the total sample, 70.3% (n = 696) had or had had a partner. Results: Boys perform more sexting, consume more pornographic content, and have more hostile and benevolent sexist attitudes than girls. However, girls perpetrate more IPCS than boys. The results of the hierarchical multiple regression indicate that hostile sexism is a predictor of IPCS, as well as the combined effect of Gender × Pornography and Benevolent Sexism × Sexting. Conclusions: it is essential to implement sexual affective education programs in schools in which Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) are incorporated so that boys and girls can experience their relationships, both offline and online, in an egalitarian and violence-free way.

Synergy between Acceptance of Violence and Sexist Attitudes as a Dating Violence Risk Factor.

The normalization of aggressive behavior in teenage couples when they are dating is a phenomenon that is currently reaching very worrying proportions. The consequences are creating a serious public health problem and have hence aroused the interest of many researchers as to its causes. Most have centered on the role of the aggressor. However, the processes of aggression and victimization are inseparable, and relegating the victims to the background only contributes to increasing the prevalence, severity, and perdurability of the problem. The objectives of this study were to: (i) identify the types and frequency of abuse that adolescents suffer in their relationships; (ii) analyze the relationship between sexist attitudes, acceptance of violence, and victimization; and (iii) determine predictors of the violence suffered in adolescent dating relationships. The sample comprised 2577 adolescents (55.2% girls) of 14 to 18 years in age (M = 15.9, SD = 1.2). The instruments used were the dating violence questionnaire (Cuestionario de Violencia de Novios, CUVINO) and the Scale of detection of sexism in adolescents (Escala de Detección de Sexismo en Adolescentes, DSA). The results indicate that victims showed high tolerance towards gender violence. Acceptance was greater the more frequent the abuse or aggressions suffered. Regarding sexist attitudes, only those belonging to the benevolent dimension had predictive value. The results also show that the interaction between acceptance of the abuse suffered and the manifestation of benevolent sexist attitudes predicted victimization involving specific forms of aggression.

Personal Endorsement of Ambivalent Sexism and Career Success: an Investigation of Differential Mechanisms

Prior research on ambivalent sexism indicates that hostile and benevolent sexist attitudes together uphold the gender hierarchy or status quo. However, research has generally focused on the ambivalent sexism of others. The current study takes an alternative and complementary approach by examining whether, why, and for whom personal endorsement of hostile and sexist attitudes is related to career success. Integrating ambivalent sexism theory, resource management theories of career success, and social role theory, we theorize differential mechanisms via which hostile and benevolent sexism are divergently related to objective and subjective career success. Results revealed that gender had direct relationships with hostile sexism, whereas gender tended to also moderate relationships between benevolent sexism and choices and experiences at the work-family interface that could be prescribed by traditional gender roles (i.e., length of career interruptions and work-to-family conflict). Additionally, actions and choices that were more visible to others generally mediated relationships between sexist attitudes and objective career success (i.e., hostile sexism → seeking career advice from men → pay), whereas internal experiences and cognitions tended to mediate relationships between sexist attitudes and subjective career success (i.e., benevolent sexism → work-family conflict → satisfaction, but only for women). Overall, these results highlight the importance of studying whether, the process through which, personal endorsement of sexism influences work experiences, choices, and outcomes.

The Heroes and the Helpless: The Development of Benevolent Sexism in Children

Gender-stereotypical attitudes that males should be the protectors and that females need special care as the more delicate gender may reflect foundational components of benevolent sexism; however, children’s attitudes regarding these roles have yet to be explored. The current study interviewed 113 U.S. children ages 3–11 years-old, presenting scenarios asking who should come to the rescue and who should receive special care (e.g., when tired or hurt). Results indicated that boys, across ages, believed that boys should be the heroes. Girls and boys selected their own gender to receive special care for physical needs, although these biases decreased with age. These findings suggest that stereotypical attitudes regarding roles for one’s own gender may be present in early childhood, but attitudes regarding roles for the other gender may develop later. Benevolent sexist attitudes related to protective paternalism may emerge younger than previously thought. We discuss possible implications for later help-seeking behaviors, dependency, and support for gender equality.

The Gender Gap in Start-up Funding: The Role of Investors’ Benevolent Sexism

Female-led ventures tend to receive lower funding than male-led ventures, but the reasons for this gap require further attention and understanding. Drawing on the ambivalent sexism theory, we examine the effect of investors’ benevolent sexist attitudes – their affection, idealization, and protectiveness toward women – on funding allocations for female- and male-led ventures. Specifically, we postulate that the more investors endorse benevolent sexism the less they are likely to view female-led ventures as viable, which, in turn, undermines funding allocations. Our findings in two experimental studies show that investors’ benevolent sexism differentially impacts entrepreneurial outcomes of female- and male-led ventures, but in a slightly different manner than theorized. In Study 1 using a sample of undergraduate business students with entrepreneurial experience, we found that participants’ benevolent sexism was related to greater viability perceptions for male-led ventures, but unrelated to viability perceptions of female-led ventures. In turn, these greater viability perceptions for male-led ventures were associated with higher funding allocation. In Study 2, using a sample of potential non-accredited investors in the US general public we found that this pattern of results was stronger among male than female investors. This research demonstrates that benevolent sexism subtly undermines gender equality in entrepreneurship by giving an advantage to male-led ventures, while the same advantage is not conferred to female-led ventures. We discuss implications for theory, practice, and male-centric approaches to the study of gender equality.

Me and Us Versus the Others: Troubling the Bullying Phenomenon

The bullying phenomenon has been simplified and studied primarily from a psychological perspective. In this study, the phenomenon of bullying was examined by analyzing the joint influence of sociocultural factors such as gender stereotypes, sexism, and attitudes toward sexual and cultural diversity on bullying participation as a bully and a bully follower. Participants were 1,165 Spanish and Portuguese adolescents with a mean age of 14.64 years. The hierarchical linear regression model reveals that bullies are less expressive and more instrumental, they hold more hostile sexist and less benevolent sexist attitudes, more negative attitudes toward homosexuality and more positive ones toward lesbianism, as well as more negative behavior toward gender nonconforming people, and more negative attitudes toward cultural diversity. With the exception of expressiveness and negative attitudes toward cultural diversity, these variables also explain participation as a bully follower. Implications for the development of educational policies and practices of bullying prevention are discussed.

Benevolent and Hostile Sexism in Social Spheres: The Impact of Parents, School and Romance on Belgian Adolescents' Sexist Attitudes.

Despite growing public awareness and policy efforts, gender equality has not yet been fully established in Western societies. Previous research has shown that hostile and benevolent sexist attitudes, which are grounded in traditional gender stereotypes, play a key role in the reproduction of gender inequalities. Whereas, hostile and benevolent sexism among adolescents has been previously studied, limited attention has been paid to social characteristics in understanding the support for these attitudes. In this article, we aim to study how the family, the school and romantic partnerships relate to adolescents' benevolent and hostile sexist attitudes. We relied on data gathered in 2013 by the Flemish Youth Research Platform and performed multivariate analyses on 755 parent-child dyads (n♂ = 342; n♀ = 413). Our results indicate that social characteristics especially matter to explain the variation in benevolent sexist attitudes among girls and hostile sexist attitudes among boys. Among girls, being in a romantic relationship and parents' traditional moral beliefs was strongly related to benevolent sexism; while for boys, hostile sexism was strongly related to being enrolled in technical and vocational education. In the conclusion, we elaborate on the implications of our findings.

Considering the Effect of Sexism on Psychological Intimate Partner Violence: A Study with Imprisoned Men

Psychological intimate partner violence (IPV) is the most prevalent form of IPV and is often thought to precede physical IPV. However, psychological IPV often occurs independently of other forms of IPV, and it can often emerge during routine relationship interactions. Using data from imprisoned male offenders we investigate the effect of hostile and benevolent sexist attitudes on psychological IPV and the hypothesized mediating role of positive attitudes toward IPV and this effect when accounting for broader risk factors at the levels of community (social disorder), family-of-origin (conflictive climate in family of origin), and personality (antisocial personality traits) variables. The sample involved 196 male inmates of the Penitentiary Center of Villabona (Asturias, Spain). Structural equation models result showed significant total, direct and indirect effect of hostile sexism on psychological IPV, but not of benevolent sexism. When individual, family-of-origin, and community variables were considered, however, hostile sexism showed only an indirect effect on psychological IPV via positive attitudes toward abuse. These results are discussed in light of the debate of the role of sexist attitudes in the psychological IPV explanation when broader models are considered.

Culture, benevolent and hostile sexism, and entrepreneurial intentions

PurposeIn this study, the authors relate cultural masculinity to individual level sexist beliefs (hostile and benevolent sexism) and gendered entrepreneurial stereotypes. The purpose of this paper is to explore whether hostile and benevolent sexism affect entrepreneurial intentions and whether this relationship is mediated by gendered entrepreneurial stereotypes.Design/methodology/approachThe proposed relationships are explored using a sample of 192 participants from the USA and India with varying interest in starting a business. An online survey instrument was used to collect the data. Regression and mediation analyses were used to analyze the data.FindingsThe authors find that both hostile and benevolent sexism are positively related to entrepreneurial intentions of both men and women. However, only benevolent sexism is related to both the masculine and feminine gender traits ascribed to entrepreneurs. Interestingly, the authors find support that hostile sexism is actually positively related to feminine traits ascribed to entrepreneurs, albeit with a small effect size. The authors do not find any support that these results vary by participant gender; the findings are implicated for both men and women alike. The authors find that for both hostile and benevolent sexism only the feminine traits perceived as stereotypic of entrepreneurs partly mediate their relationship on entrepreneurial intentions.Research limitations/implicationsThe survey consists of cross-sectional, self-report data, and therefore the authors cannot conclusively infer causality. The direction of relationships found is of theoretical value. Only two countries are included in the sample limiting generalizability to other countries. Most of the participants in the sample reported some interest or experience in nascent entrepreneurial activities, which may limit the generalizability of findings to those without any prior interest or experience as a nascent entrepreneur.Originality/valueThe relationship between ambivalent sexism (both hostile and benevolent sexism) and both entrepreneurial intentions, and the gendered traits ascribed to entrepreneurs, has not yet been explored before this work. Using the lens of cultural masculinity, we present a theoretical model of how hostile and benevolent sexist attitudes facilitate or inhibit entrepreneurship via how entrepreneurs are perceived. This is the first study we know of which explores the relationship between Ambivalent Sexism and the gender attributes ascribed to entrepreneurs, and how these gendered entrepreneurial stereotypes in turn are related to entrepreneurial intentions.

White Female Bystanders’ Responses to a Black Woman at Risk for Sexual Assault: Associations With Attitudes About Sexism and Racial Injustice

ABSTRACTWomen of color are affected by both sexism and racism. We examined White women’s attitudes about sexism (hostile and benevolent sexism) and racial injustice (White empathic responses to racism) as correlates of their responses to a Black woman at risk for an alcohol-related sexual assault. White undergraduate women (N = 172) reported on their attitudes and then completed measures of blame and willingness to intervene in response to a scenario in which a woman named “LaToya” is at risk. All 3 types of attitudes were directly related to victim blame, whereas only hostile sexism was directly, negatively related to willingness to intervene. White empathic responses to racism moderated the associations between benevolent sexism and both victim blame and willingness to intervene. Results suggest that among White female bystanders, both hostile and benevolent sexist attitudes were related to increased blame and reduced willingness to intervene to help Black women at risk. The adverse effects of benevolent sexism, however, were reduced for those with greater concerns about racial injustice.

Sexism in adolescence: parenting styles, division of housework, prosocial behaviour and aggressive behaviour / Sexismo en la adolescencia: estilos de crianza, división de tareas domésticas, conducta prosocial y agresividad

The aim of this study was to identify which factors were the best predictors of sexist attitudes. To achieve this aim, two groups of variables were analysed. The first group consisted of variables relating to parenting styles and the division of housework. The second group consisted of personal factors related to prosocial behaviour and physical and verbal aggression. The sample was made up of 732 adolescents aged 12–14 from Valencia (Spain). The analysis was conducted separately for boys and girls. Correlation analyses and multiple linear regression analyses were conducted on each subsample. The results show that the division of housework and parenting styles were related to sexist attitudes. This connection was especially strong for the division of housework according to traditional gender roles, which was found to lead to hostile and benevolent sexist attitudes. The results also showed that prosocial and aggressive behaviours were correlated with sexist attitudes. The results varied by gender. The findings of this research have implications for the prevention of sexist attitudes.