Comfort in Conformity: To what extend does belief in social hierarchies lead young women to endorse benevolent sexism in contemporary America?

Abstract

This study explores why some women endorse benevolent sexism (BS), a subtle yet pervasive form of sexism that idealizes women as needing protection and care, even if this may be a disadvantage to their own position in society. Specifically, the study examines the role of Social Dominance Orientation (SDO), dangerous and competitive worldviews, and sociocultural factors such as religious and ethnic background in predicting the endorsement of BS among American women. Using a cross-sectional design, with data from the 2024 Psychology of Political Behavior Studies (PPBS), the final analytic sample consisted of 505 participants. Findings reveal that higher levels of SDO significantly associated with higher levels of BS endorsement, supporting the notion that hierarchical ideologies can be internalized by those that are disadvantaged by them. Mediation analysis confirmed that both dangerous and competitive worldview partially mediate the relationship between SDO and BS, with competitive worldview showing a slightly stronger effect which is consistent with the Dual Process Model. Additionally, religious background was found to moderate the effect of SDO on BS, particularly among Muslim and Protestant participants, while there was no significant moderation found for ethnicity. The findings contribute to a deeper understanding of how hierarchical beliefs, worldviews, and identity-based variables intersect and sustain gender inequality and can contribute to the development of interventions focusing on dismantling sexism. Implications for practice and future research are discussed. This study explores why some women endorse benevolent sexism (BS), a subtle yet pervasive form of sexism that idealizes women as needing protection and care, even if this may be a disadvantage to their own position in society. Specifically, the study examines the role of Social Dominance Orientation (SDO), dangerous and competitive worldviews, and sociocultural factors such as religious and ethnic background in predicting the endorsement of BS among American women. Using a cross-sectional design, with data from the 2024 Psychology of Political Behavior Studies (PPBS), the final analytic sample consisted of 505 participants. Findings reveal that higher levels of SDO significantly associated with higher levels of BS endorsement, supporting the notion that hierarchical ideologies can be internalized by those that are disadvantaged by them. Mediation analysis confirmed that both dangerous and competitive worldview partially mediate the relationship between SDO and BS, with competitive worldview showing a slightly stronger effect which is consistent with the Dual Process Model. Additionally, religious background was found to moderate the effect of SDO on BS, particularly among Muslim and Protestant participants, while there was no significant moderation found for ethnicity. The findings contribute to a deeper understanding of how hierarchical beliefs, worldviews, and identity-based variables intersect and sustain gender inequality and can contribute to the development of interventions focusing on dismantling sexism. Implications for practice and future research are discussed.