The Influence of Perceiver and Target Race in Hostile and Benevolent Sexist Attitudes

Abstract

The present research investigates whether benevolent and hostile sexism are applied differentlyby Black and White U.S. Americans to Black and White women. Participants reported theirsexist attitudes while thinking about Black women, White women, or women in general.Although Black participants reported higher levels of benevolent and hostile sexism overall,participant race and target race interacted to produce unique effects on sexist attitudes. Morespecifically, Black perceivers thinking of White women reported higher levels of hostile sexismthan those thinking of Black women. White perceivers thinking of Black women reported higherlevels of hostile sexism than those thinking of White women. With regard to benevolent sexism,participants thinking of Black women reported higher levels of benevolent sexism than did thosethinking of White women. The results also suggested more similarity between sexism towardWhite women and sexism toward women in general, suggesting that our current understanding ofsexism better reflects an understanding of sexism directed toward White women rather thanwomen in general, suggesting the necessity for further research that considers the role of targetand perceiver race in understanding sexist attitudes.

Coping with Hostile Discrimination: The Roles of Self-Advocacy, Positive Psychology, and Unconscious Bias Training in Higher Education

“…This has emphasized the promotion of various innovative ideas and strategies to ensure the progress of the higher education system in China. However, like other important institutes, higher education institutes face many challenges (Campbell, 2021). One of the most common issues in this regard is gender disparity.…”