HOSTILE AND BENEVOLENT SEXISM

Measuring Ambivalent Sexist Attitudes Toward Women

  1. Peter Glick1,*,
  2. Susan T. Fiske2

Article first published online: 28 JUL 2006

DOI: 10.1111/j.1471-6402.1997.tb00104.x

Issue

Psychology of Women Quarterly

Psychology of Women Quarterly

Volume 21, Issue 1, pages 119–135, March 1997

Additional Information

How to Cite

Glick, P. and Fiske, S. T. (1997), HOSTILE AND BENEVOLENT SEXISM. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 21: 119–135. doi: 10.1111/j.1471-6402.1997.tb00104.x

Author Information

  1. 1

    Lawrence University

  2. 2

    University of Massachusetts at Amherst

*Address correspondence and reprint requests to: Peter Glick, Department of Psychology, Lawrence University, Appleton, WI 54912-0599. Email: peter.s.glick@lawrence.edu.

Publication History

  1. Issue published online: 28 JUL 2006
  2. Article first published online: 28 JUL 2006
  3. First draft received: August 30, 0996 Final draft accepted: September 26, 1996

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A theory of sexism as ambivalence, not just hostility, toward women is presented. Ambivalent Sexism Theory distinguishes between hostile and “benevolent” sexism (each addresses issues of power, gender differentiation, and sexuality). Benevolent sexism encompasses subjectively positive (for the sexist) attitudes toward women in traditional roles: protective paternalism, idealization of women, and desire for intimate relations. Hostile sexism encompasses the negative equivalents on each dimension: dominative paternalism, derogatory beliefs, and heterosexual hostility. Both forms of sexism serve to justify and maintain patriarchy and traditional gender roles. The validity of a measure of these constructs, the Ambivalent Sexism Inventory (ASI), is reviewed. Comparisons are offered between the ASI and other measures of sexist attitudes (e.g., the AWS), with suggestions for the proper domains of different scales.

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