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Daily acts of sexism go unnoticed by men, women

Date:
June 14, 2011
Source:
SAGE Publications
Summary:
Nearly everyone can recognize the stereotypical scene of construction workers catcalling women as being sexist, but both men and women tend to overlook the more subtle daily acts of sexism they encounter, according to a recent study.
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Nearly everyone can recognize the stereotypical scene of construction workers catcalling women as being sexist, but both men and women tend to overlook the more subtle daily acts of sexism they encounter, according to a recent study from Psychology of Women Quarterly.

Things such as calling women "girls" but not calling men "boys" or referring to a collective group as "guys" are forms of subtle sexism that creep into daily interactions. The study helps not only identify which forms of sexism are most overlooked by which sex, but also how noticing these acts can change people's attitudes.

"Women endorse sexist beliefs, at least in part, because they do not attend to subtle, aggregate forms of sexism in their personal lives," wrote authors Julia C. Becker and Janet K. Swim. "Many men not only lack attention to such incidents but also are less likely to perceive sexist incidents as being discriminatory and potentially harmful for women."

The study goes on to differentiate the way men and women's beliefs change once they become aware of subtle sexism. Women need to "see the unseen," the authors note, to make corrections, whereas men need not only to be aware of the sexist behavior or comments, but also to feel empathy for the women targeted. These results are consistent with other studies which found that empathy is an effective method for reducing racial and ethnic prejudice.


Story Source:

Materials provided by SAGE Publications. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.


Journal Reference:

  1. J. C. Becker, J. K. Swim. Seeing the Unseen: Attention to Daily Encounters With Sexism as Way to Reduce Sexist Beliefs. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 2011; DOI: 10.1177/0361684310397509

Cite This Page:

SAGE Publications. "Daily acts of sexism go unnoticed by men, women." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 14 June 2011. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/06/110613122519.htm>.
SAGE Publications. (2011, June 14). Daily acts of sexism go unnoticed by men, women. ScienceDaily. Retrieved March 19, 2024 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/06/110613122519.htm
SAGE Publications. "Daily acts of sexism go unnoticed by men, women." ScienceDaily. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/06/110613122519.htm (accessed March 19, 2024).

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