The Intercultural Role of Attitudes Towards Violence Against Women Among Moroccan Immigrants

The objective was to study the intercultural role of attitudes towards violence against women in the Moroccan immigrant population. A first study analyzes the relationship between sexism and intimate partner violence and the differences based on origin and sex. About 122 native Spanish people and Moroccan immigrants participated. Men and Moroccan immigrants had more sexist attitudes than women and native people, with no differences in intimate partner violence based on sex or origin. A second study using two focus groups with Moroccan immigrants showed the relevance of the traditional values of gender and culture of honor, religiosity, and the socio-economic context.

She Asked for It: Hardcore Porn, Sexism, and Rape Myth Acceptance

The present study examined pornography viewing, rape myth acceptance, and sexist attitudes. Data came from 392 male and 903 female participants. Multigroup SEM indicated neither pornography viewing, nor hardcore pornography viewing, were related to rape myth acceptance when controlling for sexist attitudes among men. Wald tests indicated hostile sexism to be a significantly stronger predictor of all rape myths examined compared to pornography viewing or hardcore pornography viewing in men and women. Latent variable interaction analyses suggested hardcore pornography viewing as a significant exacerbating factor for the relationship between hostile sexism and “she asked for it” rape myths across genders.

Attitudes towards gender equality and coeducation among Secondary School teachers: a case of study in Madrid, Spain

Introduction. In spite of the education reform and the introduction of mixed schools, there are still obstacles to gender equality in Spain. Sexist attitudes and values continue to influence personal development and career choices, limiting women's participation in all areas. The opinions, beliefs, ideas, conceptions, expectations and personal attitudes of teaching professionals exert a great influence on the students who perceive them, which calls for up-to-date information on teaching staff’s perceptions towards gender equality and coeducation.Method. In this work, results from a survey distributed in three Secondary Schools in the Autonomous Community of Madrid, with 105 participants, are presented. The retrieved data were analyzed by using ANOVA and Kruskal-Wallis non-parametric tests.Results. Significant differences were found among the respondents in terms of their views on gender equality for the gender and gender*age factors, and for the gender and years of teaching experience factors in the case of their perceptions about coeducation.Discussion and conclusion. Although the tendency toward a true status of equality was more pronounced in women than in men, an adequate predisposition on the majority of teachers of both sexes towards the achievement of a social equality model based on the promotion of peer roles and coeducational practices was found.

The Mediating Role of Moral Absolutism Between the “Binding Moral Foundations” and Sexist Attitudes: A Path That May Lead to Intimate Partner Violence

The binding foundations (loyalty, authority, and purity) constitute adaptive mechanisms for preserving groups’ interests. However, they have also been related to intergroup prejudice and violence. We show that the known relationship between the binding foundations and sexist attitudes is mediated by moral absolutism, a variable that reflects the degree to which people believe that their own definition of morality is objectively correct. Two different samples are used: a conventional one (Study 1, N = 321), and a forensic one at the beginning ( T1) and at the end ( T2) of court-mandated psychological therapy (Study 2, N = 354; N = 327).

Sexism, Moral Disengagement, and Dark Triad Traits on Perpetrators of Sexual Violence Against Women and Community Men

The field of criminal psychology involves delving into psychological profiles prone to accepting and justifying sexist attitudes that support sexual violence against adult women (SVAW). The aim of the current study is to analyze the mediating role of moral disengagement in the relationships between dark triad personality traits (Machiavellianism, psychopathy, and narcissism) and ambivalent sexism in a sample of 74 male perpetrators of sexual violence against women ( M = 40.58; SD = 10.05) convicted of intimate partner violence (IPV) and sexual assault and 160 community men ( M = 43.54; SD = 10.63). Since there were no significant differences in the measured variables between individuals convicted of IPV and those convicted of sexual assault, these two groups were combined into a single group of perpetrators of sexual violence against women. A comparison of incarcerated and community men showed that perpetrators of sexual violence against women reported significantly higher levels of ambivalent sexism, moral disengagement, and psychopathy than community men. The moderated mediational model showed that the dark triad was not directly associated with ambivalent sexism, but the relationship was fully mediated by moral disengagement mechanisms. Moreover, the interdependence of the variables evaluated was moderated by group. The moral disengagement mechanisms that explain both hostile and benevolent sexism were associated with Machiavellianism and psychopathy among perpetrators of sexual violence against women, whereas among community men, these mechanisms were associated with Machiavellianism and narcissism. These findings are discussed as they pertain to the treatment of perpetrators of sexual violence against women.

The Contingent Effects of Sexism in Primary Elections

Although the landscape for female candidates in U.S. politics has improved, research continues to find that many voters possess sexist attitudes. We rely on a standard political communication framework to help reconcile sexism in the electorate with increasingly favorable outcomes for women in primary elections. Based on two national survey experiments, we first demonstrate that in the absence of gendered campaign rhetoric, sexism is a weak predictor of support for female candidates on both sides of the political aisle. We then show, however, that when a male candidate attempts to activate sexism among voters by attacking a female opponent, gender attitudes become more salient—but not to the woman’s disadvantage. In a Democratic primary, gendered attacks backfire and lead to a significant boost in support for the female candidate. On the Republican side, a male candidate does not face the same backlash, but the attacks do very little to depress his female opponent’s support. While the persistence of hostile attitudes toward women has slowed the march toward gender equality in society, our experimental results suggest that sexism exerts only contingent effects in primary elections and not systematically to female candidates’ detriment.

The Association Between Sexism, Self-Sexualization, and the Evaluation of Sexy Photos on Instagram

Passive consumption of sexually objectifying content on social networking sites (SNS) has been shown to result in lowered body satisfaction and self-esteem, particularly in women. However, deliberate evaluations of sexually objectifying social media content are scarce. Furthermore, associations between self-objectification and active use of SNS in terms of posting behavior have not been shown so far. The present study asked N = 916 participants to rate 28 Instagram screenshots on three dimensions, namely, whether the given photos were perceived as sexually revealing, appropriate, and attractive. The ratings were related to sexist attitudes, enjoyment of sexualization, and posting behavior of the participants. Sexism was negatively associated with the perceived appropriateness of the presented Instagram photos in women. Furthermore, there were substantial correlations between appropriateness and attractiveness evaluations of the presented photos and the self-sexualizing posting behavior and enjoyment of sexualization of female users. Only inconsistent effects could be found in men. Greater appreciation of objectification seems to go along with self-objectifying behavior, which may be due to an altered perception of what can be considered as sexually revealing. Although effects seem to be smaller in men, future research should also focus on male enjoyment of sexualization, which unfortunately was not considered in the present study.

Cyber-dating abuse in young adult couples: Relations with sexist attitudes and violence justification, smartphone usage and impulsivity

Technologies have become important for interaction in couples. However, in some cases, controlling and aggressive behaviors can occur in the context of virtual interactions in couples; this is known as cyber-dating abuse (CDA). Identifying factors linked to CDA, as perpetrator and victim, are relevant for its prevention; therefore, more research is needed in this novel field of study. To contribute to the literature, our first goal was to analyze the associations among certain risk factors for CDA perpetration and victimization of, i.e., sexist attitudes and violence justification, problematic smartphone usage and impulsivity; sex and age were also considered. The second goal was to study whether there were differences in direct aggression and control, from the perpetrator and victim perspectives, with consideration of the above-mentioned risk factors. Third, differences in the diverse range of control behaviors and direct aggression between women and men were explored. To this end, 697 young adults (aged between 18 and 35 years; 548 women) completed self-report questionnaires that allowed assessment of the above-mentioned variables. The results showed that, among the wide range of CDA behaviors, indirect ones such as control behaviors were the most common. The highest level of control was strongly associated with the inability to manage behaviors under certain emotional states, especially negative ones, along with problematic smartphone usage. Sex differences were also observed: men displayed more sexist attitudes and violence justification, and perceived that they were more controlled by their partners. Regarding CDA behaviors, men and women showed differences in control (e.g. men considered themselves to be more controlled in terms of location and status updates), and direct aggression (e.g. men used more insults and humiliations than women). The results were discussed in terms of the importance of better understanding these risk factors to attenuate the increasing prevalence of CDA in relationships.