Uncategorized — 3 Comments
30
Sep 21

Gender Differences

Gender Differences

Gender differences have been a major issue in the society that we live in. People immediately give off stereotypes stating what a person can and cannot do. Gender differences can be seen whether they are stated verbally or non-verbal. Stereotypes lead to assumptions and norms about what activities, sports, and dress codes are considered masculine or feminine. Gender differences play a huge role since childhood and continue to expand as a person gets older. Biological and social factors affect the result of gender differences. A child’s gender influences the outcome of education, social life, and the judgment against them.

Gender differences is a way that we stereotype ourselves and keep ourselves in groups. There are different categories in which we separate for males and females. The activities, dress code, and sports are ways that we stereotype ourselves. For example, when we think of ice hockey, we think of males playing the game instead of females. While thinking about cheerleading, we think of majority females. Gender refers to “social or learned characteristics that are associated with being male or female” (Gruman 393). The way that we act in the social world is the way that we are being characterized. There are social norms that state things to be masculine and other things being feminine.

Even in early childhood, kids separate themselves based on being a male or female. Children separate themselves in activities, classrooms, and playgrounds. If you were to see a boy in a line of girls, then other kids would make fun of him for not being with them. When I was a child, I could relate to gender differences because I would only accept things that are pink and considered girly. I loved to have my hair done, nail polish, and dressing up as a princess. I used to also stay in areas around other girls and play with activities that are not as masculine. When playing a game or activity, do you normally pick others in the same gender or the opposite sex? Not only do our physical actions affect our gender differences, but also our verbal actions. The way that we express our feelings and emotions are different and might be expressed as being emotional for women. According to the textbook, “when a male child cries, people will often explain the behavior by saying that he is angry, whereas when a female child cies, they will often describe her as frightened” (Gruman 394). The way that we express our emotions as perceived differently in males and females. Men are considered to being angry and weak if they cry, while females are considered to be frightened and emotional.

Gender differences are the result of biological and social factors that influence a child’s response. Depending on the biological and social factors that a child grew up in, their responses might differ. If you were to tell a boy, what job do you want to work as you grow older, his answers might be like police officer, fireman, or athletics coach. They would consider jobs that are considered more masculine. On the other hand, if a girl is asked, she would say something like a teacher, model, doctor, or artist. Girls tend to choose careers that are feminine and less masculine. Not only do our choices affect the way that we choose things but also our biological and social factors. Some children might choose to be police officers because the social environment they live in might not be too safe.

In conclusion, the way that we are raised as children is the way that create gender differences and will be the same for future generation. In the society that we live in, gender differences have had a huge impact in our lives. Gender differences cause stereotypes in which we preserve ourselves and consider what and what not to do. Separating ourselves based on gender even developed since childhood and continues to expand as we grow. Gender differences expand to create stereotypes that create social norms since childhood. There are biological and social factors that influence gender differences. Does gender play a role in the way that you interact and communicate with others?

References:

Gruman, J. A., Schneider, F. W., & Coutts, L. M. (2017). Applied social psychology: Understanding and addressing social and practical problems. SAGE.

Uncategorized — 1 Comment
20
Feb 20

Feminism

WHY PSYCHOLOGY SUGGESTS THAT THERE MAY NOT BE EMPOWERMENT AND STRENGTH IN NUMBERS

Written By: Judy Laut

In 2020, feminism, “the belief that men and women should have equal rights and opportunities” (Merriam-Webster, n.d.) is a highly debated and controversial topic. As controversial as feminism may be, the support and fight for equality is well-founded. From politics to social situations to employment and compensation, it seems as if in modern society sexism is still alive and well.

“In-group favoritism is a central aspect of human behavior. People often help members of their own group more than members of other groups.” (Fu, 2012) The concept of in-group favoritism leads one to believe that women would be more likely to support, encourage, and defend one another especially against men and sexism. But how true is this? Do women feel more empowered to confront sexism when other women are present? According to “A recent series of experiments by Janet Swim and Lauri Hyers” (Gruman, 2016) the answer is no.

“Sexism refers to any bias against an individual or a group of individuals based on the individual’s or group member’s sex.” (Gruman, 2016) With sexism as prevalent as it is and all of the controversy surrounding it and the reactive feminist movements, why is it that woman are less likely to confront sexism when other women are present?

The answer lies within the concept that is termed the “diffusion of responsibility (i.e., the diminished sense of responsibility a person feels when he or she believes that others would or should intervene)” (Gruman, 2016)

In the series of experiments conducted by Swim and Hayers an analyzation of women’s public responses to sexist remarks reported “…that only 16% [of women] directly confronted the men with verbal responses…” (Gruman, 2016) “Interestingly, when the participant was the only woman among three male confederates, she was more likely to respond to the initial sexist remark than when other women were present.” (Gruman, 2016)

It’s both amazing and disheartening that according to the experiment more women are willing to confront sexism when they find themself the only woman in an uncomfortable situation. As women, we need to feel empowered when surrounded by one another. We can no longer justify our silence by passing on the responsibility to someone else. We need to support, encourage, and defend one another. Too many women have fought and died for our equality for us to remain silent now.

Miller, J. Howard. Poster. “We Can Do It!” or Rosie, the Riveter. 1942.

References

Fu, F., Tarnita, C., Christakis, N. et al. Evolution of in-group favoritism. Sci Rep 2, 460 (2012). Retrieved February 19, 2020, from https://doi.org/10.1038/srep00460

Gruman, J. A., Schneider, F. W., & Coutts, L. M. (Eds.). (2016). Applied social psychology : Understanding and addressing social and practical problems. Retrieved February 19, 2020, from https://ebookcentral.proquest.com

Merriam-Webster. (n.d.). Feminism. In Merriam-Webster.com dictionary. Retrieved February 19, 2020, from https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/feminism

Miller, J. Howard. Rosie, the Riveter. 1942. Retrieved February 19, 2020, from https://americanhistory.si.edu/collections/search/object/nmah_538122

create an entry — 4 Comments
27
Sep 16

New POTUS job requirement: “A presidential look”

What, exactly, comprises the “presidential look” that according to Republican candidate Donald Trump, Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton lacks? Although he demurs when asked for specifics, stating “I’m just talking about general,” (Parker, 2016), it can be concluded based on his former comments about women in general and former female political opponent Carly Fiorina in particular that there are gender politics at play in his remarks (Estepa, 2015). Unfortunately, Trump is not alone in his doubts about whether someone who looks like Clinton (i.e. female) would be able to project the aura of authority the office of the Presidency requires. The uncomfortable truth is that hidden sexism operates in our society, and many of us are uneasy with seeing women in a powerful role.

Penn State psychology professor Terri Vescio explains the gender bias that operates in the political sphere as a “damned if you do and damned if you don’t” situation, in which “the more female politicians are seen as striving for power, the less they’re trusted and the more moral outrage gets directed at them…[because] if you’re perceived as competent, you’re not perceived as warm. But if you’re liked and trusted, you’re not seen as competent” (Bush, 2016). This catch-22 for women in politics (and in business) undermines their support among both men and women, and because much of it is implicit bias, it is often unrecognized. For example, even within the Obama administration female staffers often had to struggle to make their voices heard until they struck upon a strategy of “amplification” whereby they mutually drew attention to each other’s significant contributions in order ensure that the proper party received credit for the idea (Eilperin, 2016). I point this out in order to be clear that sexism is an issue that transcends political party affiliation, and therefore we all stand to lose out if valuable contributions from women are silenced by oppression either blatant or subtle.

Hostile sexism is easier to recognize for what it is, but there is another side to sexism that is more insidious: benevolent sexism. For example, I would describe myself as a feminist, but when I took the “Are You Sexist” quiz offered by PBS.org, my results indicated that I hold a fair degree of subtle gender prejudice:

I encourage you to click the link above and see your own results – you might be surprised at what you learn about yourself. Anyone familiar with the Harvard implicit bias tests will recall that we don’t have to hold explicitly negative beliefs about others to be influenced by bias. Our implicit beliefs can lead us to behave in a manner which is discriminatory while we simultaneously think of ourselves as fair and considerate.

When you combine elements of hostile and benevolent sexism you get ambivalent sexism. We can see the interplay of these elements in Donald Trump’s statements about women, both positive and negative. Recently, professor Peter Glick, who along with Susan Fiske proposed the tripartite understanding of sexism stated, “Trump’s views are consistent with conventional ideologies that view women as wonderful…but with a catch” (Glick, 2016).

“Heterosexual men’s intimate interdependence on women (as objects of desire, wives, and mothers), fosters a ‘benevolent’ side to sexism. Benevolent sexism encompasses genuine warmth toward women, but only when they support rather than challenge men’s status, power, and privileges” (Glick, 2016).

Regardless of which candidate we choose to vote for in the upcoming election, I hope that we will all pay closer attention to our own assumptions about gender and competence. Often we hold women to different standards than men without realizing that we are doing so. In light of what I’ve learned in in this course (particularly Swim and Hyer’s (1991) research regarding women’s responses to sexist comments), I will not only strive to resist social pressure to silence myself, but will also do more to support other women as they work to make their voices heard. If enough men and women do the same, perhaps we can arrive at a point sometime in the future when saying that a female political candidate doesn’t look “presidential” will fail to cause some of us to nod in agreement.

Resources:

Allen, J. (2016, July 21). Anti-Hillary Clinton rhetoric has become dangerous and violent. Retrieved September 27, 2016, from American, http://www.rushhourdaily.com/anti-hillary-clinton-rhetoric-become-dangerous-violent/

Bush, D. The hidden sexism that could sway the election. Retrieved September 26, 2016, from http://www.pbs.org/newshour/features/hidden-sexism/

Eilperin, J. (2016, September 13). White house women want to be in the room where it happens. Washington Post. Retrieved from https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/powerpost/wp/2016/09/13/white-house-women-are-now-in-the-room-where-it-happens/

Estepa, J. (2015, September 10). Donald Trump on Carly Fiorina: “Look at that face!” . Retrieved from http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2015/09/10/trump-fiorina-look-face/71992454/

Glick, P. (2016). Benevolent sexism and the art of the deal. Retrieved September 27, 2016, from https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-enquiry/201609/benevolent-sexism-and-the-art-the-deal

Parker, A. (2016, September 7). Donald Trump says Hillary Clinton Doesn’t have “a presidential look.” Politics. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/07/us/politics/donald-trump-says-hillary-clinton-doesnt-have-a-presidential-look.html

Santhanam, L. (2016, August 10). Are you sexist? Take this quiz. . Retrieved from http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/are-you-sexist-take-this-quiz/

Uncategorized — 3 Comments
03
Oct 15

Madonna-whore complex

According to the sexual script theory, human sexuality is largely determined by culturally-prescribed scripts, or templates for behavior. These gender-normative scripts are typically heterosexual, where men are depicted as sexually active and assertive, while favoring nonrelational sex. Conversely, women are described as sexually passive and seeking relational sex. Such tendencies are learned through socialization and then acted out, thereby creating further reinforcement of the conventions, making these scripts cyclical in nature. Despite the twenty-first century‘s advances in gender roles, the stereotype that men are generally sexually eager and women are coy, if not repressed, is still the sexual norm (Garcia, Reiber, Massey, & Merriwether, 2012). Both evolutionary drives and media messaging explain this phenomenon, which is also related to social dominance theory’s view that men have more power in the gender hierarchy (PSU WC, 2015). To further complicate matters, adhering to these traditional gender roles is associated with societal rewards and punishments (Schneider, Gruman, & Coutts, 2012).

These concepts of gender and sexuality are stereotypical and fairly obvious, yet a deeper look reveals huge and complex juxtapositions for both men and women. The terror management theory suggests that men have a profound subconscious ambivalence towards women and their sexuality because it reminds them of their true corporeal animal nature and therefore, mortality. This concept is woven throughout many different culture’s religions and histories. On the one hand, men spend much of their lives lusting after women, and on the other hand men wrestle with an intense fear of women. This contradiction is unsettling and at the mild end of the spectrum can create cognitive dissonance for men, potentially leading to sexism, misogyny, and even violence and rape, in the extreme (Landau et al., 2006).

Accordingly, Sigmund Freud developed a theory to explain men’s anxiety towards women’s sexuality, suggesting that men cast women into one of two categories to allay the uncomfortable dichotomy of fear and desire: the Madonna (women he admires and respects) and the whore (women he is attracted to and therefore disrespects). The Madonna-whore complex views women’s desirability/licentiousness and purity/maternal goodness as mutually exclusive traits. Love is seen as clean and virginal whereas sex is viewed as dirty and shameful. Because healthy sexuality is sublimated, it is rerouted towards the secrecy and debasement involved in pornography where the concept of slut is outwardly despised and privately craved. This dichotomy may contributes to many relationship issues, where men generally seek to maintain the image of their romantic partner as Madonna, but may seek the whore in the form of an affair in order to achieve both opposing idealizations that are difficult to project onto the same woman (Landau et al., 2006).

Hartmann (2009) asserts that though many of Freud’s sexual theories are now considered antiquated and sexist, his psychoanalytic notion of the Madonna-whore complex is still quite viable and pervasive in modern sexual dynamics and gender roles. Women are given so many shaming antisexual messages suppressing the understanding and integration of their sexuality, while simultaneously being valued principally for their youth, thinness, attractiveness, and overall sexual prestige by society. The female plight is just as dichotomous as the male’s: women want to be both respected (primarily) yet desired (secondarily), whereas men struggle to reconcile these concepts that they can find paradoxical, creating cognitive dissonance. Landau et al. (2006) indicate that men’s ambivalence towards women’s sexuality is predicated on the ambivalence about their own sexuality, again a painful reminder of their mortality.

My initial aim in writing this blog was to explore the difficulties involved in women’s gender roles and sexuality, however, after further research it seems that men’s attitudes and proclivities are just as complicated. I think these dynamics are both fascinating and frightening. So much of how we behave sexually it seems is based on genetic and societal programming outside of our control. But understanding these deeply rooted tendencies and conflicts is the first step in self-actualizing to consciously create the gender and sexual roles we feel comfortable with and want to portray. Also, I think the Madonna-whore complex does affect many relationships to varying degrees, especially married couples, and those with children most of all. I’ve seen family and friends struggle with that dynamic, probably thinking the issue was unique to them, whereas I believe it to be a much more widespread phenomenon.

References

Garcia, J. R., Reiber, C., Massey, S. G., & Merriwether, A. M. (2012). Sexual hookup culture: A review. Review of General Psychology, 16(2), 161-176. doi:http://dx.doi.org.ezaccess.libraries.psu.edu/10.1037/a0027911

Hartmann, U. (2009). Sigmund Freud and His Impact on Our Understanding of Male Sexual Dysfunction. Journal of Sexual Medicine, 6(8), 2332-2339. doi:10.1111/j.1743-6109.2009.01332.x

Landau, M. J., Goldenberg, J. L., Greenberg, J., Gillath, O., Solomon, S., Cox, C., . . . Pyszczynski, T. (2006). The siren’s call: Terror management and the threat of men’s sexual attraction to women. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 90(1), 129-146. doi:http://dx.doi.org.ezaccess.libraries.psu.edu/10.1037/0022-3514.90.1.129

The Pennsylvania State University World Campus (PSU WC). (2015). Lesson 6: Intergroup Relations. In PSYCH424: Applied Social Psychology (5). Retrieved from https://courses.worldcampus.psu.edu/fa15/psych424/001/content/07_lesson/05_page.html

Schneider, F. W., Gruman, J. A., & Coutts, L. M. (2012). Applied social psychology: Understanding and addressing social and practical problems. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, Inc.

Uncategorized — 1 Comment
19
Apr 15

Sexism in Nursing

Sex discrimination is a known problem for women in the scientific and medical communities (Ceci & Williams, 2011; MacWilliams, et al., 2013). In my first life as a biologist I saw a field dominated by men where women were clawing their ways through the maze of publications and funding; they tried desperately to gain legitimacy as scientists. In 2004 I decided to become a nurse and the situation in nursing is the complete opposite. It is a profession dominated by women and not just at the bedside but at scientific conferences and in the achievement of funding, advanced training, tenure-track academic positions and nursing management positions (MacWilliams, et al., 2013). The predominance of women in nursing makes the profession ripe for a reversal of the sex discrimination with which we are most accustomed, called sexism. Sexism as defined by Kwantes, Bergeron and Kaushal (2012) refers to “…differential and often detrimental treatment of a person based on that person’s sex” (p. 331). According to Glick and Fiske (1996), sexism is multi-dimensional and is comprised of two subtypes: hostile and benevolent which combine to become ambivalent sexism. Glick and Fiske focused solely on the impact of sex discrimination on women and disregarded men completely. Yet, I believe these three types of sexism exist in nursing toward men. The purpose of this post will be to examine the types of sexism in the context of nursing.

Hostile sexism refers to the type of sexism with which most are likely familiar. Hostile sexism includes blatant negative attitudes and behaviors toward an individual based on gender (Kwantes, et al). In the nursing profession, men can sometimes be subjected to negative attitudes and anti-male comments by their female counterparts including female nurse educators (MacWilliams, et al., 2013). In fact, male nursing students report more exposure to sexism than males in other educational programs (Kermode, 2006).

Benevolent sexism may seem to be the most benign form yet it can have consequences for men in the nursing workplace. Benevolent sexism focuses on the manifestations of traditional gender stereotypes (Glick & Fiske, 1996). An example of benevolent sexism in nursing is the “feminine imagery” of nursing as reported by MacWilliams and colleagues (2013, p.40). In this context, the image of nursing favors a feminine model whereby nurses are caring, soothing and compassionate, qualities that are stereotypically assigned to females (MacWilliams, et al). This feminine ideal is reported as a barrier to men entering the field in particular (MacWilliams, et al).

The final type of sexism defined by Glick and Fiske (1996) is ambivalent sexism. Ambivalent sexism refers to the simultaneous expression of hostile and benevolent sexism. I believe an example of this in nursing is the simultaneously held beliefs that men are incapable of being tender and compassionate in the care of others while also believing men could not adequately function in a nursing role due to limited ability to multi-task (MacWilliams, et al., 2013).

Although the number of men in nursing continues to rise, there are still far fewer men in the profession and in the process of obtaining credentials to enter the profession (MacWilliams, et al, 2013). The goals defined by the Institute of Medicine include making the nursing workforce as diverse as the population it serves (MacWilliams, et al.). As the nursing shortage continues to grow, it is imperative that nursing take a good look at how it can solve the ongoing issues of sexism in the profession to make nursing a more attractive option to all regardless of sex. To do this, intervention development should focus on tailored approaches to address hostile, benevolent and ambivalent sexism.

Uncategorized — 1 Comment
18
Feb 15

When Sex Becomes More Than Sex

In our lesson 6 we learn about gender and sex, and how easily these are mistaken for the same thing. “The term sex refers to a biological distinctions of being male or female, while the term gender refers to the social or learned characteristics that are associated with being male or female (Schneider, Gruman, & Coutts, 2012)”. What this tells us is that sex is a characteristic one is most likely born with, for example being born with male gentiles or female gentiles. This differs from gender in the sense that society and social norms dictate what is male and what is female. Males are socially designed to be tough and hardy, while females caring and understanding. These two references get confused with each other all the time, due to lack of knowledge.

These certain characteristics proposed by humans to fit the social norms can also support these traits. “When a male baby cries, everyone will say that he is angry, but when a female baby cries everyone will say she is frightened (Schneider, Gruman, & Coutts, 2012)”. This is wrong on numerous levels, but lets attempt to scratch the surface. Why is it that we as a society correlate a baby boy crying to him being angry? Perhaps because we view most of today’s societal problems and massacres on the shoulders of men, making them inherently angry at birth? Or is it because we label males with traits such as being strong, therefore a baby boy cannot cry because he is scared, but only because he is mad? This is an enormous dilemma that we face as a society because it appears we are already labeling babies, which should never be the case due to personality and physical instabilities. I am not a father yet, but I am fairly certain that boys can be scared into crying and girls can be angry and feel the need to cry.

All-Gender-Restroom-Sign

With these traits comes an unfortunate drawback such as sexism, which is differential and often-detrimental treatment of a person based on that person’s sex (Schneider, Gruman, & Coutts, 2012). When sexism comes to mind the first thing I consider is a man not giving a woman fair treatment. Why do I think this? Perhaps its due to the everlasting stigmas that our society portrays, such as women still fighting to be equal even years after the Women’s Rights movement was passed. It scares me that I do not see a scenario where a man is being mistreated due to sexism in the workplace, or at home. These feelings are called hostile sexism, which refers to negative attitudes towards women specifically (Schneider, Gruman, & Coutts, 2012). The perceived antithesis of this is called benevolent sexism, which refers to sexism in a positive manner, but still adheres to stereotypes about women in limited ways (Schneider, Gruman, & Coutts, 2012). There is seemingly no type of “good” sexism, as the root of the meaning is to cause bias. We as a society need to make more of an effort to delete sexism from our workplace, and even more importantly our hearts. It baffles me that we blindly put stereotypes on children and babies and even adults that adhere to what we think they should be like. Sex and gender may be two entities in their own right, but they should not be discriminated upon.

Schneider, F. W., Gruman, J. A., & Coutts, L. M. (2012). Applied social psychology: Understanding and addressing social and practical problems. Los Angeles.

Uncategorized — 2 Comments
04
Oct 14

Benevolent Sexism Is Not Benign

By Amy Caraballo

Benevolent sexism, discriminatory attitudes in the form of caring, complimentary, or pseudo-respectful statements, is likely one of the most surreptitious forms of sexism in our world, today. Studies have found that it is an important perpetuating factor that helps maintain gender inequality (Hammond, et al., 2014). Even more troubling is that victims sometimes pass on and encourage these attitudes believing them to be compliments or signs of respect (Hammond, et al., 2014). One only has to visit the Internet meme world to find hundreds of benevolent sexist examples, many of which are circulated by the most common victims, women and girls. It is difficult to understand how victims could spread harmful stereotypes about themselves. When one looks closer, however, the issue becomes clear; the effects of benevolent sexism are so pervasive and invisible, its victims are often completely unaware they have been wronged. Instead, it seems they sometimes believe they are empowered.

When the Powerful Dominate the Powerless

Sexist Message: A woman’s purpose is to serve a man’s every need. Credit: lovethispic.com

Social Dominance Theory suggests that groups, including societies, are built upon group-based hierarchies with a few dominant groups controlling all the resources and power. The rest are all subordinate groups, or low-level groups that have few resources and little power. These groups are typically at the mercy of the dominant groups (Pratto, et al., 2006). In the case of gender in our society, classic males are dominant while classic females are subordinate. It is not just brute force and power that keeps the subordinates in their place, either. Helping maintain these hierarchies are more subtle tools such as legitimizing myths, otherwise known as culturally held beliefs (Pratto, et al., 2006). Much like folklore, legitimizing myths are beliefs and stereotypes about the way things are in a given culture or society. It is from these legitimizing myths benevolent sexist ideas were born and continue to be maintained. Statements like “women are caregivers” while “men are providers” and “girls are dainty and sensitive” while “boys are strong and thick-skinned” are examples of legitimizing myths about genders. These ideals are conditioned at the moment of birth by the type of words children hear at home, the influences of endless media exposure, and the influence of peers (Witt, 2000). Later, when these myths are woven into compliments and caring statements, it is harder to see the malicious intent which ultimately is to keep the genders unequal.

But It Was Meant as a Compliment

“Women are too emotionally unstable to be leaders.”

It is pretty clear, to most people, that this remark is sexist. But what about this comment?

“Women are better caregivers because they are nurturing.”

Sexist Message: A woman needs to be protected by a man and should be kept in her place. Credit: all-greatquotes.com

It sounds a bit like a compliment to women. When we look closer, however, a sexist message is noticed; women should raise children. There is also a sexist message toward men; men are not supposed to be nurturing. If your thoughts turn toward examples of people who fit these stereotypes, thank legitimizing myths for shaping how society views and pigeonholes gender roles.

Compliments Do Not Hurt Anyone

Sexist Message: Girls are too emotional. Credit: theteenagerquotes.tumblr.com

It may be true that a real compliment is honoring. Benevolent sexist remarks, however, are not true compliments. Benevolent sexist remarks help spread the stereotype of the weak, frail, and emotionally unstable female (Tannenbaum, 2013). Additionally, studies have shown that women exposed to benevolent sexist attitudes were more likely to give in to those stereotypes thus maintaining their own gender inequality (Tannenbaum, 2013).

Where Do We Go From Here?

In order to stop the legitimacy of these cultural myths we have to do better at educating the public. We need awareness about what benevolent sexism is and how prevalent it has become. We can only fight back against such sexism once we understand what it is and how to recognize when its used. We must speak up when we hear it or see it and not condone its use by remaining silent. We must teach children to recognize this form of sexism and how to respond to its wrongful messages.

We must remove the invisibility cloak of this form of sexism and see it for what it is. Only then can we begin to aspire for gender equality. Benevolent sexism is not empowering. It is not benign. And certainly it is harmful to a society that strives for equal opportunity.

Hammond, M. D., Sibley, C. G., & Overall, N. C. (2014). The allure of sexism: Psychological entitlement fosters women’s endorsement of benevolent sexism over time. Social Psychological and Personality Science, 5(4), 422-429. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1948550613506124

Pratto, F., Sidanius, J., & Levin, S. (2006). Social dominance theory and the dynamics of intergroup relations: Taking stock and looking forward. European Review of Social Psychology, 17, 271-320.

Schneider, F., Gruman, J., Coutts, L. (2012). Applied social psychology: Understanding and addressing social and practical problems (2nd ed.). Los Angeles: Sage.

Tannenbaum, M. (2013). The Problem When Sexism Just Sounds So Darn Friendly… PsySociety, Scientific American Blog Network. Scientific American Global. Retrieved October 4, 2014, at: http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/psysociety/2013/04/02/benevolent-sexism/

Witt, S. D. (2000). The influence of peers on children’s socialization to gender roles. Early Child Development and Care, 162, 1-7. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/0300443001620101

PSYCH 424 blog

Archives

Feminism

Feminism

WHY PSYCHOLOGY SUGGESTS THAT THERE MAY NOT BE EMPOWERMENT AND STRENGTH IN NUMBERS

Sexism in Nursing

When Sex Becomes More Than Sex

Recent Posts

Recent Comments

Archives

Categories

Meta