Date of Award

2026

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy in Clinical Psychology

Department

Psychology

Committee Chair and Members

Sara Haden, Chair

Philip Wong

Benjamin Saunders

Keywords

Benevolent sexism, Body shame, Body surveillance, Self-objectification, Sexism, System justification

Abstract

Benevolent sexism can be flattering on the surface, though is based on and perpetuates the same stereotypes as hostile sexism (Glick & Fiske, 1996; 1997). Research has demonstrated benevolent sexism exposure increases body shame in adult women, however this effect remains largely unexplained. The current study investigated the mediating effects of self-objectification (viewing oneself as an object) and system justification beliefs (believing that society is just and fair) to explain the positive relationship between exposure to benevolent sexism and body shame. Using an experimental paradigm, this study exposed a sample of adult women in the United States (N = 152) to read one of three fabricated articles containing benevolent sexism, hostile sexism, or a non-sexist control. A serial mediation model was tested, though no significant effect of experimental manipulations of benevolent sexism was found. However, results of this study provided support for system justification theory, in which gender-specific system justification beliefs positively predict positive affect (Jost & Banaji, 1994). A second replication effect was demonstrated in which self-objectification positively predicted body shame, supporting self-objectification theory (Glick & Fiske, 1996). Irrespective of the experimental manipulation, self-reported frequency of personal experiences with benevolent sexism significantly predicted gender-specific system justification beliefs and positive affect. This study contributes to the understanding of the effects of sexism on women's self-perception and their perceptions of societal systems. Implications from this study, limitations and directions for future research are also discussed.

Download

Included in

Psychology Commons

Share

COinS