Bystander Sexism in the Intergroup Context: The Impact of Cat-calls on Women’s Reactions Towards Men

Abstract

Despite the fact that sexism is an inherently intergroup phenomenon, women's group-level responses to sexism have received relatively little empirical attention. We examine the intergroup reactions experienced by 114 female students at a U.S. university in New England who imagined being a bystander to a sexist cat-call remark or control greeting. Results indicate that women experienced greater negative intergroup emotions and motivations towards the outgroup of men after overhearing the cat-call remark. Further, the experience of group-based anger mediated the relationship between the effect of study condition on the motivation to move against, or oppose, men. Results indicate that bystanders can be affected by sexism and highlights how the collective groups of men and women can be implicated in individual instances of sexism.

What Looks Like Sexism and Why? The Effect of Comment Type and Perpetrator Type on Women's Perceptions of Sexism

“…However, many of the potentially sexist interpersonal behaviors that women encounter in their daily lives such as cat-calls (Chaudoir & Quinn, 2010), lewd remarks, and objectifying gazes (Gervais, Vescio, & Allen, 2011;Saguy, Quinn, Dovidio, & Pratto, 2010;Swim et al, 2001;Brinkman & Rickard, 2009) do not fall squarely within standard conceptualizations of hostile or benevolent sexism. Whereas hostile and benevolent sexism relies on stereotypes and prescribed social roles based on gender group membership to subordinate women (Glick & Fiske, 1996), sexual objectification-behaviors that reduce women to mere body parts designed for the consumption of others (Fredrickson & Roberts, 1997)-relies upon changes in perceptual processes.…”

Spillover and crossover of sex-based harassment from work to home: Supervisor gender harassment affects romantic relationship functioning via targets' anger

“…While previous research supporting the link between sex‐based harassment and anger is generally scarce (see Wright & Fitzgerald, , for an exception), anger has been shown to be associated with other forms of interpersonal mistreatment such as bullying (Ayoko et al, ); disrespectful, humiliating, or unjust treatment (e.g., Fitness, ); and sexist behavior (e.g., anti‐female jokes and comments reflecting gender stereotypes; Schneider, Tomaka, & Palacios, ; Swim, Hyers, Cohen, & Ferguson, ). Experimental research on sexual harassment also shows that individuals exposed to the harassment of other women report greater levels of anger toward men in general (Chaudoir & Quinn, ) and toward the perpetrators of harassment (Williams, Brown, Lees‐Haley, & Price, ). Thus, when taken together, we predict the following: Hypothesis Workplace GH will be positively related to the experience of anger among targets.…”

Why did Italians protest against Berlusconi's sexist behaviour? The role of sexist beliefs and emotional reactions in explaining women and men's pathways to protest

“…Previous research on reactions against sexism has mainly focused on women's responses as targets of sexism and gender discrimination (i.e., Ellemers & Barreto, ; Matheson & Anisman, ; for an exception, see Chaudoir & Quinn, ). This research extends this work by focusing on emotional responses and collective reactions of women and men who are witnesses of sexism.…”

“…However, being exposed to sexism is an emotionally complex event. Studies showed that female targets (i.e., Ellemers & Barreto, ; Matheson & Anisman, ; Swim & Hyers, ; Swim, Hyers, Cohen, & Ferguson, ) or witnesses of sexism (Chaudoir & Quinn, ) reported anger, feelings of lack of control, and helplessness typical of sadness and depression (Bosson, Pinel, & Vandello, ; Swim et al ., ), and the sensation of being ridiculed and devalued in one's status in the eyes of others that characterizes humiliation (Matheson & Anisman, ; Swift, ). In line with these studies, condemnation of (HS, CGD, PP, and HI) sexist beliefs is expected to generate sadness and humiliation in women, in addition to anger.…”