Benevolent Sexism
Description
David Ley:
"Research suggests that women do in fact find sexist men attractive. Gul and Kupfer recently published research where they conducted multiple experiments, testing women’s attraction to different types of men, and teasing out women’s motivations.
Past research has suggested that evolutionary biology explains these dynamics, pointing to findings that women reportedly prefer men with more masculine features and more indicators of “fitness.” However, many of those sensational findings are in question, with failed replications leading to doubt that these effects can be reliably predicted or measured.
Gul and Kupfer take a related tack, but head in a slightly different direction. They suggest that female interest in sexist men, specifically men who display “benevolent sexism,” may be seen by women as being more an interest in men investing resources in a woman. Benevolent sexism describes a form of sexism which is overtly less hostile and misogynistic, and reflects beliefs that I was taught, as a man from the U.S. South."
Characteristics
David Ley:
"Benevolent sexism includes beliefs that:
- Women should be “put on a pedestal.”
- Women should be cherished and protected by men.
- Men should be willing to sacrifice to provide for women.
- Women are more virtuous than men.
- Women are more refined and pure, compared to men."