benevolent sexism

Tag: benevolent sexism

Psychologist Peter Glick Presents Research on Gender in the Workplace at Harvard Business School Symposium

Lawrence University psychologist Peter Glick will be one of a select group of scholars to deliver a talk at the Harvard Business School symposium “Gender and Work: Challenging Conventional Wisdom” Feb. 28-March 1 in Boston.

Psychologist Peter Glick

A social psychologist whose scholarship focuses on both the subtle and the overt ways in which prejudices and stereotypes foster social inequality, Glick will deliver the address “BS at Work: How Benevolent Sexism Undermines Women and Justifies Backlash” at the symposium, which will examine cutting-edge research and ideas about gender in organizations.

Glick and his research partner, Susan T. Fiske of Princeton University, Glick introduced the concept of “ambivalent sexism,” which asserts that not just hostile, but patronizing views undermine and sabotage women at work. Benevolent sexism, which asserts women are wonderful but fragile and require men’s protection and assistance, limits women’s opportunities, leads to “soft” and uninformative feedback, undermines women’s performance and justifies backlash toward women who fail to live up to feminine ideals.

Glick is the only presenter from a liberal arts college at the symposium, which features scholars from Harvard Business School, Northwestern University, MIT and Stanford University, among others.

A member of the Lawrence faculty since 1985, Glick earned his bachelor’s degree in psychology from Oberlin College and his Ph.D. in social psychology from the University of Minnesota. He’s been recognized with the 1995 Gordon W. Allport Prize for his research on ambivalent sexism and Lawrence’s 2011 Award for Excellence in Scholarship.

About Lawrence University
Founded in 1847, Lawrence University uniquely integrates a college of liberal arts and sciences with a nationally recognized conservatory of music, both devoted exclusively to undergraduate education. It was selected for inclusion in the Fiske Guide to Colleges 2013 and the book “Colleges That Change Lives: 40 Schools That Will Change the Way You Think About College.” Individualized learning, the development of multiple interests and community engagement are central to the Lawrence experience. Lawrence draws its 1,500 students from nearly every state and more than 50 countries. Follow Lawrence on Facebook.

Psychologist Peter Glick’s Research on Sexism “Stranger than Fiction”

Lawrence University psychologist Peter Glick and his research partner Susan T. Fiske of Princeton University address questions about whether acts of “benevolent sexism” harm women in a new commentary published in the current issue of Psychology of Women Quarterly.

“The truth about sexism seems stranger than fiction,” wrote Glick and Fiske in “Ambivalent Sexism Revisited,” which examines their 20-year investigations into the nature of sexism. Sexist attitudes are not exclusively hostile, but include an “odd…conjunction of what at first seemed inherently incompatible: subjective affection as a form of prejudice,” which they have labeled “benevolent sexism.”

Lawrence University psychologist Peter Glick

Glick, professor of psychology and Henry Merritt Wriston Professor in the Social Sciences at Lawrence, and Fiske have shown the negative consequences of attitudes that idealize women as pure, moral, pedestal-worthy objects of men’s adoration, protection and provision. People who endorse benevolent sexism feel positively toward women, but only when women conform to highly traditional ideals about “how women should be.”

Benevolent sexism motivates chivalrous acts that many women may welcome, such as a man’s offer to lift heavy boxes or install a new computer. While the path to benevolent sexism may be paved with good intentions, it reinforces the assumption that men possess greater competence than women, whom benevolent sexists view as wonderful, but weak and fragile.

Glick and Fiske developed the Ambivalent Sexism Inventory (ASI), which measures both Hostile Sexism and Benevolent Sexism, nearly 20 years ago. Since its inception, thousands of people in dozens of countries have taken the ASI.

Cross-national comparisons show that hostile and benevolent sexism go hand-in-hand — nations that endorse hostile sexism also endorse benevolent sexism. The beliefs work together because benevolent sexism “rewards” women when they fulfill traditional roles while hostile sexism punishes women who do not toe the line, thereby working together to maintain traditional relations. In other words, act sweet and they’ll pat you on the head; assert yourself and they’ll put you in your place

Numerous studies by various researchers document benevolent sexism’s insidious effects. For example, when led to expect benevolently sexist help in a masculine workplace, women became unsure of themselves, got distracted and consequently performed poorly.

Glick and Fiske discussed their research with Jan D. Yoder, editor of Psychology of Women Quarterly in this podcast.

Psychology of Women Quarterly is a feminist, scientific, peer-reviewed journal that publishes empirical research, critical reviews and theoretical articles that advance inquiry related to the psychology of women and gender, including information about feminist psychology, body image, violence against women, international gender concerns, sexism, sexuality, physical and mental well being, career development, and more. The journal is the official journal of The Society for the Psychology of Women, Division 35 of the American Psychological Association.

Founded in 1847, Lawrence University uniquely integrates a college of liberal arts and sciences with a world-class conservatory of music, both devoted exclusively to undergraduate education. Ranked among America’s best colleges, it was selected for inclusion in the book “Colleges That Change Lives: 40 Schools That Will Change the Way You Think About College.” Individualized learning, the development of multiple interests and community engagement are central to the Lawrence experience. Lawrence draws its 1,520 students from 44 states and 56 countries.