Is It Just Me or Was That Sexist? Perception of Hostile and Benevolent Sexism in the Context of Race
Date of Award
Fall 2017
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Science (MS)
Department
Clinical Psychology
First Advisor
Oswald, Debra L.
Second Advisor
Howard, Simon
Third Advisor
Heck, Nicholas
Abstract
Sexism is a common problem in the U.S. A major component of addressing this problem is determining the circumstances in which sexism is identified. One particular characteristic relevant to the perception of sexism is the race of the perpetrator of sexist behaviors. Using a vignette design, the current project explored whether sexism was identified at different rates or perceived as more or less sexist depending on the race of the man perpetrating sexist behaviors and whether it was hostile or benevolent sexism (Glick & Fiske, 1996). When a Black man engaged in sexist behavior, he was perceived as more sexist that White men when engaging in benevolent sexism – paternalistic, superficially positive sexist behaviors – and non-sexist behaviors. There were no differences based on the race of the perpetrator in the perception of hostile sexism – overtly negative and hostile forms of sexism. Women identified sexism more often and viewed it as more sexist than men did, especially in the context of hostile sexism. These findings suggest there are significant effects of perceiver gender and perpetrator race in the perception of sexism. This demonstrates the importance of examining both race- and gender-based discrimination together.