The authors argue that complementary hostile and benevolent components of sexism exist across cultures. Male dominance creates hostile sexism (HS), but men's dependence on women fosters benevolent sexism (BS)--subjectively positive attitudes that put women on a pedestal but reinforce their subordination. Research with 15,000 men and women in 19 nations showed that (a) HS and BS are coherent constructs that correlate positively across nations, but (b) HS predicts the ascription of negative and BS the ascription of positive traits to women, (c) relative to men, women are more likely to reject HS than BS, especially when overall levels of sexism in a culture are high, and (d) national averages on BS and HS predict gender inequality across nations. These results challenge prevailing notions of prejudice as an antipathy in that BS (an affectionate, patronizing ideology) reflects inequality and is a cross-culturally pervasive complement to HS.

No abstract

Three studies examined women's reactions to ostensibly protective restrictions. In Study 1, only benevolently sexist women accepted a protectively justified (hypothetical) prohibition against driving on a long trip, but only when imposed by a husband (not a coworker). In Study 2, when women's actual romantic partners opposed their participation in a practicum counseling dangerous men, most reacted positively to a personalized protective justification ("I am concerned for your safety"), but only benevolently sexist women reacted positively when no justification was given. In Study 3, only benevolently sexist women accepted an explicitly group-based protective justification ("It is not safe for any woman") for a partner's imagined opposition to an internship that involved interviewing criminals. By fusing benevolence with dominance, protective paternalism can lead women (especially those who are high on benevolent sexism) to accept restrictions.

The existence of domestic violence is closely linked to several ideological factors that include sexism and other beliefs about society in general, namely the belief in a just world. In this study, which involved 485 people of both sexes aged between 18 and 70 years, we analyzed the influence of these ideological variables of the perceivers and characteristics of the situation on judgments of a gender aggression – blaming the victim and exonerating the perpetrator. Results showed differences in the reactions of observers depending on the cause that triggered the aggression. Participants blamed the victim and exonerated the aggressor more when no cause of the aggression was mentioned than when a cause was mentioned (the woman wanted to separate, to see an old male friend, or simply to take a trip with her female friends). We also found clear effects of hostile sexism and just world beliefs on the dependent variables. Results showed that the influence of just world beliefs depended on the fact of mention or not a cause for the aggression.

Resumen. La violencia de género representa uno de los problemas más importantes a los que se enfrenta la sociedad actual. Esta realidad ha propiciado la aprobación y desarrollo de importantes cambios legislativos y de intervención más acordes con la especificad de este tipo de delitos. Dado el progresivo incremento de hombres que son condenados por delito de violencia de género y teniendo en cuenta las características generales de los mismos, en la mayoría de los casos se trata de delincuentes primarios y completamente normalizados, la respuesta penal nos ofrece una oportunidad para intervenir con este tipo de población. Una de las medidas más novedosas impuestas por los jueces para este tipo de hechos es la suspensión de la ejecución de las condenas privativas de libertad, por delito de maltrato, a cambio de la realización de programas psicológicos específicos de violencia de género, siempre y cuando se cumplan las condiciones que la ley establece. El artículo describe la experiencia en la aplicación de un programa de intervención psicosocial con perspectiva de género, con un grupo de hombres condenados por delito de maltrato y en situación de suspensión condicionada de condena. Se analiza el perfil sociodemográfico de la muestra y se emplea para la evaluación del programa, pruebas específicas relacionadas fundamentalmente con la ideología de género, así como con aquellas creencias relacionadas con las relaciones entre hombres y mujeres en el ámbito de la pareja y las actitudes hacia la violencia de género. De los resultados obtenidos con esta experiencia se desprende la necesidad de mantener y potenciar la intervención con hombres maltratadores como forma de prevención de nuevos episodios de violencia de género sobre las mismas ó futuras mujeres víctimas de este tipo de violencia. Palabras clave: violencia, género, condena, intervención, maltrato.Abstract. Gender violence is one of the major issues that society faces. During the last few years, important legislative and interventional changes have been carried out, in order to adapt to with the specific nature of this type of crime. Because of the increase in the number of men that have been convicted of gender violence, and taking into account their general characteristics (in most of the cases it is their first crime), penal law offers an opportunity for intervention. One of the most novel measures imposed by the judges for these types of crimes is that, instead of giving jail sentences, they sentence the offenders to attend psychological treatment programs that deal with gender violence. This paper describes the experience with the application of a psycho-social intervention program with a gender perspective. We analyze the sample's sociodemographic profile, and, in order to evaluate the program, we also use scales that measure gender ideology, beliefs about intimate relationships, and attitudes towards gender violence. Results showed that it is important to support and promote the intervention with this type of offender as a way to prevent new episodes of g...

A B S T R A C TCurrent research has postulated that sexual harassment is one of the most serious social problems. Perceptions of sexual harassment vary according to some factors: gender, context, and perceiver's ideology. The strategies most commonly used by women to cope with harassment range from avoiding or ignoring the harasser to confronting the harasser or reporting the incident. The aim of this study was to explore women's perception of sexual harassment, and to assess the implications of different victim responses to harassment. A total of 138 women were administered a questionnaire where the type of harassment, and victim response were manipulated. Moreover, the influence of ideological variables (i.e. ambivalent sexism and the acceptance of myths of sexual harassment) on perception was assessed. Results show perception of sexual harassment was lower in gender harassment than in unwanted sexual attention and participants believed women who confronted their harasser would be evaluated negatively by men. Furthermore, effects of ideology on perception of harassment were found. The results underscore the complexities involved in defining certain behaviours as harassment, and the implications of different victim responses to harassment.Enfrentarse o no: la percepción del acoso sexual por parte de la mujer R E S U M E N La investigación actual postula que el acoso sexual es uno de los problemas sociales más graves. La percepción de acoso varía de acuerdo a factores como: género, contexto e ideología del perceptor. Las estrategias más utilizadas por las mujeres para hacer frente al acoso van desde evitar o ignorar al acosador hasta enfrentarse a él o denunciarlo. El objetivo de este estudio fue explorar la percepción de las mujeres sobre el acoso sexual, y evaluar las implicaciones de las diferentes respuestas de las víctimas de acoso. A 138 mujeres se les administró un cuestionario en el que el tipo de acoso y la respuesta de la víctima, fueron manipulados. Además, se evaluó la influencia del sexismo ambivalente y la aceptación de los mitos de acoso sexual en la percepción. Los resultados muestran que la percepción de acoso sexual fue menor en el acoso de género que en la atención sexual no deseada y las participantes creen que las mujeres que confrontan el acoso serán evaluadas negativamente por los hombres. Además, se encontraron efectos de la ideología sobre la percepción de acoso. Los resultados ponen de relieve las complejidades involucradas en la definición de ciertos comportamientos como el acoso y las implicaciones de las diferentes respuestas a las víctimas de acoso.Palabras clave: Acoso sexual Mitos Sexismo Percepción social Afrontamiento

We examined how Spanish women's benevolent sexism (a sex-role attitude) affects their perceptions of whether a hypothetical husband will feel threatened by a wife's success at work. In a social perception study, female participants (N = 210) read a vignette in which a husband and his wife argued over her job promotion. Women's benevolent sexism (but not hostile sexism) predicted viewing the husband as more threatened by his wife's promotion and more likely to aggress against her (intimate partner violence). The effect of women's benevolent sexism was robust and not mitigated when specific information about the husband's attitude (traditional, egalitarian, no information) was provided. Belief that a husband would feel threatened by a wife's promotion partially mediated the relationship between women's benevolent sexism scores and their anticipation that the husband would become violent. Benevolently sexist women may embrace traditional roles in relationships in part to avoid antagonizing male partners, ultimately maintaining the status quo.Women's beliefs about sources of conflict in heterosexual relationships can affect their own ambitions and attitudes. For example, Rudman and Fairchild (2007) found that women who believe that feminism breeds conflict in heterosexual romantic relationships tend to avoid labeling themselves as feminists. The current study explores women's beliefs about whether a wife's success, which might challenge traditional role and status relations within a marriage, would cause a husband to feel threatened and, potentially, to aggress against her. This article focuses on how individual differences in ideology predict women's assumptions about a husband's reaction to his wife's success. Specifically, we consider the role of women's endorsement of benevolent sexism, an ideology suggesting that women

Two studies examined how the effect of dependency and emotions on the dynamics of relationship conflict differs between men and women. In Study 1, 96 women and 67 men were presented with conflict situations that might occur in their relationship; the probability of aggression, anger, and dependency was measured. Results showed that anger mediated the relationship between dependency and the intention to use aggression, in men, but not in women. In Study 2, 95 women and 65 men wrote about a conflict situation that they had experienced with their partner; loyalty, guilt, and dependency were measured. Results showed that dependency predicted loyalty among women, and that this effect was mediated by guilt.