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'Benevolent sexism': Men who open doors for women can be as sexist as those who are rude to them, study finds

Psychologists found that a friendly or chivalrous attitude can mask chauvinistic views because the men see females as weak creatures in need of their protection

Mar 11, 2015 • March 11, 2015 • 2 minute read • Join the conversation

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Men who open doors for women are as guilty of sexism as those who are rude to them, according to a new study.

Psychologists found that a friendly or chivalrous attitude can mask chauvinistic and patronizing views because the men see females as weak creatures in need of their protection.

They warned that this "benevolent sexism" was harder to spot than the hostile version borne out of an open antipathy.

Jin Goh, a psychologist from Northeastern University, Boston, in the U.S., said: "While many people are sensitive to sexist verbal offences, they may not readily associate sexism with warmth and friendliness. Unless sexism is understood as having both hostile and benevolent properties, the insidious nature of benevolent sexism will continue to be one of the driving forces behind gender inequality."

While many people are sensitive to sexist verbal offences, they may not readily associate sexism with warmth and friendliness

The study, believed to be the first of its kind, involved 27 pairs of U.S. undergraduate men and women. Participants were filmed while they played a trivia game together and chatted afterwards. Experts then scrutinized their interaction by reporting their impressions and counting certain non-verbal cues such as smiles.

Word count software was also used to further analyze their behaviour.

Scientists found that the more hostile sexist participants were perceived as less approachable and friendly in their speech and smiled less during the interaction.

In turn, those who displayed a benevolent sexism were considered more approachable, warmer, friendlier and more likely to smile. They also used more positive emotional words and were overall more patient while waiting for a woman to answer trivia questions.

The study, published in the journal Sex Roles, says the way a man smiles and chats to women will reveal his true attitude. Prof Judith Hall, a co-author, said: "Benevolent sexism is like a wolf in sheep's clothing that perpetuates support for gender inequality among women at an interpersonal level. These supposed gestures of good faith may entice women to accept the status quo in society because sexism literally looks welcoming, appealing, and harmless."

The study was the first to capture non-verbal as well as verbal expressions of sexism during mixed gender interaction, and to explore how the two types of sexist beliefs are expressed differently.

Earlier this week, Emma Watson, the actress, called for women to be allowed to be chivalrous after revealing that she was rebuffed by a date when she offered to pay for dinner. The Harry Potter actress said that though the man considered himself a feminist, the prospect of her paying "was not going down well."

Speaking as part of HeForShe campaign for gender equality in her role as UN Goodwill Ambassador, Watson said that women should be able to pay for dinners or open the door for a man.