A study in Australia revealed that women experiencing more protective paternalism tended to feel greater psychological distress and to be less satisfied with their relationship. They also tended to see their partners as less reliable and more patronizing and undermining. The paper was published in Social Psychological and Personality Science.
In modern societies, people can experience sexism in different forms. Hostile sexism refers to overtly negative attitudes and behaviors towards individuals based on their gender. It is characterized by hostility, derogation, and aggression. It manifests in actions that demean, belittle, or undermine the targeted gender.
Benevolent sexism, on the other hand, involves seemingly positive attitudes and behaviors that are patronizing and reinforce traditional gender roles. Although it appears protective or idealizing, benevolent sexism ultimately upholds gender inequality by perpetuating stereotypes and limiting the targeted gender’s autonomy and opportunities.
Research shows that hostile sexism is clearly linked to poorer psychological and physical health in women. In the context of romantic relationships, men’s endorsement of hostile sexism in associated with correspondingly negative behaviors toward their partner. These behaviors, in turn, undermine partners’ satisfaction with the relationship and their well-being. In contrast, women’s experiences of benevolent sexism and its effects are less predictable, because these forms of sexism also offer benefits.
Study author by Beatrice Alba and her colleagues wanted to explore women’s experiences of benevolent sexism in their intimate relationships with men and its associations with experiences with the relationship as a whole. They focused on three subtypes of benevolent sexism – protective paternalism, complementary gender differentiation, and heterosexual intimacy.
Protective paternalism refers to the belief that men should protect and provide for women, viewing them as needing care and guidance. Complementary gender differentiation idealizes women for their perceived unique qualities, such as nurturing and purity, which are seen as complementary to men’s traits. Heterosexual intimacy romanticizes the relationship between men and women, suggesting that women fulfill men’s emotional and relational needs, often emphasizing traditional romantic roles.
The researchers used data from three surveys conducted between 2021 and 2022, which included 1,597 participants. For this analysis, they focused on 724 women aged 18 to 81 who were currently in relationships with men.
Participants reported their experiences of benevolent sexism using the Experiences of Benevolent Sexism Scale, and they provided information on their perceptions of partner reliability (e.g., “My partner is the kind of person who will stick by me through good times and bad”), partner patronizing and undermining behavior (e.g., “In your relationship with your partner, to what extent do you find him to be: patronizing, controlling, dominant”), psychological distress (measured by the K10 scale), relationship satisfaction (e.g., “I feel satisfied with our relationship”), and endorsement of hostile sexism (measured by the Ambivalent Sexism Inventory).
Results showed that women who frequently experienced protective paternalism from their partners reported greater psychological distress and lower relationship satisfaction. They also perceived their partners as less reliable and more patronizing and undermining.
The results for complementary gender differentiation were mixed. Women experiencing this subtype, characterized by praise for traditional female roles such as caregiving, reported lower psychological distress but also lower relationship satisfaction and negative perceptions of their partners’ reliability.
However, participants experiencing more heterosexual intimacy tended to perceive their partners as more reliable and less patronizing. They also reported higher relationship satisfaction, although there was no significant association with their psychological distress.
Overall, older participants tended to report lower psychological distress. Women in longer relationships, those with children, and women born in Australia (compared to those born overseas) tended to report lower relationship satisfaction. Women with more education tended to report lower psychological distress, while those that were employed tended to report a bit more.
“Women’s experiences of benevolent sexism within their relationships with men were associated with mixed costs and benefits for personal and relational wellbeing. Experiences of protective paternalism were most strongly associated with negative evaluations of their partner and relationship. By contrast, and despite being highly associated with other experiences of benevolent sexism, women’s experiences of heterosexual intimacy were associated with greater relationship wellbeing. Finally, experiencing complementary gender differentiation was associated with higher personal wellbeing, but poorer relationship wellbeing,” the study authors concluded.
The study sheds light on the links between experiences of benevolent sexism and relationship experiences. However, it also has limitations that need to be taken into account. Notably, the design of the study does not allow any cause-and-effect inferences to be drawn from the data. Additionally, all the data were self-reported leaving room for reporting bias to affect the results. Future research could benefit from longitudinal studies and reports from both partners to provide a more comprehensive understanding of how benevolent sexism operates within relationships.
The paper, “Women’s Experiences of Benevolent Sexism in Intimate Relationships With Men Are Associated With Costs and Benefits for Personal and Relationship Wellbeing,” was authored by Beatrice Alba, Emily J. Cross, and Matthew D. Hammond.
