scholarly journals How do spouses’ levels of ambivalent sexism predict allocations of household chores? Probing why women still perform most of the work in the U.S.

2021 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 167-182
Author(s):  
Katherine Gerst ◽  
Alan Reifman ◽  
Sylvia Niehuis ◽  
Dana Weiser

This study’s main objective was to examine whether, in a U.S. sample, ambivalent sexism would show stronger associations with heterosexual husbands and wives’ housework division (hours and proportion) than have previous gender-ideology measures. Unlike earlier conceptions of sexism emphasizing hostile and negative stereotypical views toward women, ambivalent sexism combines the two dimensions of hostile sexism and benevolent sexism (seemingly positive views and behaviors toward women that nevertheless convey underlying paternalistic and patronizing motivations). We hypothesized that male and female respondents high in both hostile and benevolent sexism would report the typical pattern of wives’ housework exceeding their husbands’, whereas those lower in hostile or benevolent sexism would report less housework being performed by wives. Married individuals (N = 249) were recruited via advertisements on Amazon.com’s Mechanical Turk (MTurk) platform and announcements at a university to complete an online survey. Several variables were measured, including own and spouse’s housework hours, hostile and benevolent sexism, and demographic control variables previously associated with housework allocation. An interaction emerged for women, in which those high in benevolent, but low in hostile, sexism reported performing the highest proportion of housework, whereas those low in both forms of sexism performed the lowest proportion. These results provided full or partial support for different aspects of our hypotheses. Men reported greater housework (hours and proportion) the more hours their wife worked outside the house. Discussion examines implications for ambivalent sexism theory, housework sharing, and conceptions of sexism.

Author(s):  
Roberto Fasanelli ◽  
Ida Galli ◽  
Maria Gabriella Grassia ◽  
Marina Marino ◽  
Rosanna Cataldo ◽  
...  

Gender violence is generally conceived as a phenomenon concerning only adults. Nonetheless, it is also perpetrated within teenagers’ relationships, as many empirical studies have shown. We therefore have focused our attention on a non-probabilistic sample consisting of 400 adolescents living in Naples (Italy), to study the association between sexism and the justification of violent attitudes. Generally, sexism is recognised as a discriminatory attitude towards people, based on their biological sex. However, it is conventional to talk about sexism as a prejudice against women. The Ambivalent Sexism Inventory (ASI) for adolescents was used to evaluate the two dimensions of ambivalent sexism, i.e., hostile sexism (HS) and benevolent sexism (BS). Moreover, the questionnaire regarding attitudes towards diversity and violence (CADV) was administered to assess participants’ attitudes towards violence. A Partial Least Square–Second Order Path Model reveals that girls’ ambivalent sexism is affected more by benevolent sexism than hostile sexism. On the contrary, among boys, hostile sexism has a higher impact. Finally, benevolent sexist girls justify domestic violence more than boys do.


2017 ◽  
Vol 23 (4) ◽  
pp. 673-687 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yvonne Stedham ◽  
Alice Wieland

Purpose In 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/approach The 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. Findings The 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/implications The 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/value The 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.


2021 ◽  
pp. 026540752110055
Author(s):  
Mylène Lachance-Grzela ◽  
Bingyu Liu ◽  
Andréanne Charbonneau ◽  
Geneviève Bouchard

This study examined the associations between ambivalent sexism (i.e., hostile and benevolent sexism) and relationship adjustment in young adult couples by testing an actor-partner interdependence model. The sample was composed of 219 cohabiting heterosexual Canadian couples. The findings suggest that ambivalent sexism plays a role in young adults’ perceptions of the quality of their romantic relationship, but gender differences exist. Women and men who more strongly endorsed hostile sexism tended to report lower relationship adjustment. Women’s hostile sexism was also negatively related to their partners’ relationship adjustment, whereas their benevolent sexism was positively related to their own and their partners’ relationship adjustment. For their part, men’s ambivalent sexism was unrelated to their partners’ relationship adjustment and their benevolent sexism was also unrelated to their own relationship adjustment. The results are discussed in light of the insidious consequences that can accompany ambivalent sexism. Even though hostile sexism functions to protect men’s societal advantages, it comes with costs to their romantic relationships. In contrast, despite the rewards benevolent sexism can bring on the relational level, its endorsement may hinder the attainment of gender equality by encouraging women to invest in their relationship at the expense of independent achievements.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elena Agadullina ◽  
Andrey Lovakov ◽  
Olga Gulevich ◽  
Maryana Balezina

We analyzed 498 effect sizes about the relationship between ambivalent sexism and attitudes toward male-to-female violence, and 133 effect sizes about the relationship between ambivalent sexism and violent behavior. The results showed that hostile sexism is more strongly associated with both attitudes toward violence (r = .517) and violent behavior (r = .250) than benevolent sexism is (r = .328 and r = .049, respectively). The type of violence and the target of violence are the significant moderators for hostile sexism: the smallest effect size was observed for attitudes toward physical violence and the weaker correlation between hostile sexism and violent behavior was where an intimate partner was involved. Our findings revealed that gender and sample type were not significant moderators while the higher the level of equality in the country where the study was conducted, the higher the correlation between benevolent sexism and attitudes toward violence.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Ara A'Court

<p>Two leading theories propose different reasons for men’s and women’s intimate partner violence (IPV). The gendered theory proposes that society’s patriarchal norms of male dominance and female subordination cause men’s IPV towards women. From this perspective, violence against ‘wives’ is condoned by society, and women only perpetrate IPV in self-defence against men’s primary violence. Conversely, the chivalrous theory of IPV explains women’s IPV perpetration in terms of society’s chivalrous norms, which protect women from male violence and emboldens women to physically assault male partners. From this perspective, women’s violence is not considered harmful to men. As gendered theory and chivalrous theory both reference stereotyped gender attitudes (sexism) towards women, I used the ambivalent sexism inventory (ASI) to test the competing theories efficacy in explaining IPV perpetration by heterosexual men and women. The ASI conceptualises sexist attitudes towards women as comprised of two parts: hostile sexism (reflecting the hostility towards women outlined by gendered theory), and benevolent sexism (reflecting the benevolence towards women outlined by chivalrous theory). Gendered theory states that society condones violence towards women. Thus, men’s attitudes approving of male-perpetrated IPV should mediate the relationship between men’s hostile sexism and IPV, if gendered theory predictions are correct. Alternatively, chivalrous theory poses that society does not approve of violence towards women. Thus, attitudes disapproving of men’s IPV against women and approving of women’s IPV towards men should mediate the relationship between benevolent sexism and IPV if chivalrous theory is correct. I hypothesized men’s increased hostile sexism would predict men’s increased IPV perpetration through increased approval of IPV against women, and men’s increased benevolent sexism would predict men’s decreased IPV perpetration through decreased approval of IPV against women. Further, I hypothesised that women’s increased hostile sexism would predict women’s increased IPV perpetration through increased approval of IPV against men, and women’s benevolent sexism would predict increased IPV perpetration through increased approval of IPV against men. North American men and women (N = 688) filled out an online questionnaire measuring experiences of IPV as victims and/or perpetrators, approval of male and female IPV perpetration, and hostile and benevolent sexism. Multi-group structural equation modelling tested the extent to which positive attitudes toward intimate partner violence mediated the association between sexism and IPV perpetration for men and for women. Results found that, for both men and women, increased hostile sexism predicted greater IPV perpetration through greater approval of men’s IPV against women. Furthermore, increased benevolent sexism predicted women’s increased IPV perpetration through increased approval of men’s IPV against women. Men’s increased benevolent sexism did not predict men’s lower IPV perpetration or disapproval of IPV against women. However, men’s and women’s ambivalent sexism also predicted greater approval of women’s IPV towards men. Results did not fully support patriarchal or chivalrous predictions, instead aligning well with ambivalent sexism theory which posits a more inclusive and holistic understanding of the relationship between sexism and IPV perpetration. Reducing all forms of sexism and men’s and women’s positive attitudes toward the use of IPV are identified as important targets for IPV treatment and prevention.</p>


Author(s):  
Jorge-Manuel Dueñas ◽  
Bernardina Santiago-Larrieu ◽  
Gisela Ferre-Rey ◽  
Sandra Cosi

The aims of the present study are to identify the role that family socialisation styles play in ambivalent sexism and whether differences in sexism can be attributed to gender. We used a sample of 207 adolescents (56.5% girls), all of whom attended state schools and were aged between 14 and 18 years old, with an average age of 16.2 (SD = 1.7). The instruments used were the Ambivalent Sexism Inventory (ASI) consisting of two factors – hostile sexism and benevolent sexism – and the Family Socialization Scale (SOC-30) made up of four subscales: support, punishment/coercion, overprotection/control, and reprobation. The results show that boys presented higher levels of ambivalent sexism than girls and the reprobation of adolescents was the family socialization type that had the strongest associations with ambivalent sexism scales in both genders. The data suggest that family socialisation dynamics play an important role in the acquisition and retention of sexist attitudes.


Proyeksi ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 1
Author(s):  
Wachidatul Zulfiyah ◽  
Fathul Lubabin Nuqul

Penampilan fisik merupakan hal yang penting bagi perempuan, karena perempuan akan merasa sukses sebagai perempuan yang ideal apabila ia dapat menampilkan tubuh yang cantik. Adanya self objectification memungkinkan terjadinya pementingan terhadap aspek fisik yang tampak dibandingkan aspek kompetensi fisik yang tidak tampak dalam menentukan kualitas tubuh seseorang.� Penyematan kata cantik bisa menjadi suatu hal yang merendahkan perempuan karena tidak menghargai perempuan dalam kapasitas yang sebenarnya, melainkan hanya menghargai kecantikan yang dimilikinya bukan karena prestasi, pekerjaan, ataupun pemikirannya. Hal ini dapat menimbulkan diskriminasi terhadap perempuan dikarenakan perbedaan gender (sexism). Terjadinya self objectification disebabkan oleh rendahnya kepuasan terhadap kondisi fisik serta kurang memiliki perasaan berharga (self esteem) akan penampilan fisik yang dimilikinya. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk membuktikan bahwa sexism dan self esteem mempengaruhi self objectification. Subjek dalam penelitian ini ialah mahasiswi Universitas Islam Negeri Sunan Ampel Surabaya sebanyak 299 orang. Pengukuran yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini ialah skala The Objectified Body Consciousness Scale untuk mengukur self objectification, The Ambivalent Sexism Inventory untuk mengukur sexism, dan Multidimensional Self Esteem Inventory untuk mengukur self esteem. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan sexism baik hostile sexism maupun benevolent sexism memiliki pengaruh positif yang signifikan terhadap terjadinya self objectification. Sedangkan self esteem tidak memiliki pengaruh positif yang signifikan terhadap self objectification


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Chayinska ◽  
Özden Melis Uluğ ◽  
Nevin Solak ◽  
Betül Kanık ◽  
Burcu Çuvaş

Despite the ongoing shift in societal norms and gender-discriminatory practices toward more equality, many heterosexual women worldwide, including in many Western societies, choose to replace their birth surname with the family name of their spouse upon marriage. Previous research has demonstrated that the adherence to sexist ideologies (i.e., a system of discriminatory gender-based beliefs) among women is associated with their greater endorsement of practices and policies that maintain gender inequality. By integrating the ideas from the system justification theory and the ambivalent sexism theory, we proposed that the more women adhere to hostile and benevolent sexist beliefs, the more likely they would be to justify existing gender relations in society, which in turn, would positively predict their support for traditional, husband-centered marital surname change. We further argued that hostile (as compared to benevolent) sexism could act as a particularly strong direct predictor of the support for marital surname change among women. We tested these possibilities across three cross-sectional studies conducted among women in Turkey (Study 1, N=118, self-identified feminist women; Study 2, N=131, female students) and the United States (Study 3, N=140, female students). Results of Studies 1 and 3 revealed that higher adherence to hostile (but not benevolent) sexism was associated with higher support for marital surname change indirectly through higher gender-based system justification. In Study 2, the hypothesized full mediation was not observed. Consistent with our predictions, in all three studies, hostile (but not benevolent) sexism was found to be a direct positive predictor of the support for marital surname change among women. We discuss the role of dominant ideologies surrounding marriage and inegalitarian naming conventions in different cultures as obstacles to women’s birth surname retention upon marriage.


2002 ◽  
Vol 26 (4) ◽  
pp. 292-297 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Glick ◽  
Nuray Sakalli-Ugurlu ◽  
Maria Cristina Ferreira ◽  
Marcos Aguiar de Souza

Men and women in Turkey and Brazil completed the Ambivalent Sexism Inventory (Glick & Fiske, 1996) and measures of attitudes about wife abuse. In both nations hostile sexism (HS) and benevolent sexism (BS) positively correlated with attitudes that legitimize abuse. Regression analyses revealed that HS accounted for unique variance, but BS (once HS was controlled) was unrelated to wife abuse attitudes. These results: (a) add to the evidence for the cross-cultural validity of ambivalent sexism, (b) suggest that HS supports the justification of violence against wives, and (c) imply that the ostensible protectiveness of BS is contingent, failing to shield women from abuse if they are deemed to have challenged a husband's authority or violated conventional gender roles.


2017 ◽  
Vol 9 (7) ◽  
pp. 863-874 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew D. Hammond ◽  
Petar Milojev ◽  
Yanshu Huang ◽  
Chris G. Sibley

Ambivalent sexism theory states that prejudice toward women comprises two interrelated ideologies. Endorsement of hostile sexism—aggressive and competitive attitudes toward women—is linked with endorsement of benevolent sexism—paternalistic and patronizing attitudes toward women. We conduct the first systematic tests of how endorsement of sexism differs across age and across time, using six waves of a nationally representative panel sample of New Zealand adults ( N = 10,398). Results indicated U-shaped trajectories for men’s endorsement of hostile sexism, women’s hostile sexism, and women’s benevolent sexism across the life span. However, over time, endorsement of these sexist attitudes tended to decrease for most ages. In contrast, men’s benevolent sexism followed a positive linear trajectory across age and tended not to change over time. These results provide novel evidence of how ambivalent sexism differs across age and highlight that benevolent sexism is particularly tenacious.


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