Sexist Comments Experienced by Women: Stereotypes

Abstract: Sexism takes many forms, from blatant and aggressive to unintentional and subtle. Gender-related societal attitudes, social norms, unconscious biases, and microaggressions all contribute to sexist behaviors and attitudes that are partially responsible for much of the inequity women face every day. Simon and O’Brien (2015) noted that “in both private and public spaces, women encounter messages that reinforce gender roles and stereotypes, demean women as a gender group, and sexually objectify women.” Sexist comments and remarks are prevalent and normalized in everyday conversation, public discourse, and virtually every other social setting. Further, according to Mallett, Ford, and Woodzicka (2016), face-to-face confrontation of sexism can be extremely difficult, so in an attempt to avoid backlash or retaliation, women often choose to ignore or minimize the sexism they experience. Overall, the discrimination, sexual harassment, and inequality that surface because of sexist comments and cultures continue to be one of the reasons women do not advance into leadership roles within organizations today.

To better understand how women experience sexist comments, we designed a research study with the intent of collecting and analyzing a wide variety of sexist comments experienced by women in the United States. In addition, the instrument also asked for the responses women made (or wish they had made) to such comments. The goal of this study was to ultimately educate the public (both men and women) on the many forms that conscious and unconscious sexist comments can take, from egregious statements to those that are more subtle. Additionally, we aim to equip women with the tools to confront more successfully the sexism they experience.

During May–June of 2020, an online survey instrument was administered to a nonprobability sample of women within one US state representing various settings, backgrounds, and situations. A call for participants was announced through a monthly newsletter, social media platforms, and websites, along with the research team’s partners, collaborators, and followers who also distributed to their circles of influence. Overall, 1,115 respondents started the survey, and 839 Utah women participated enough to provide usable data. As each participant was allowed to submit up to four comments, 1,750 unique scenarios were reported. Importantly, some respondents also included sexist situations and behaviors, including nonverbal actions. From the full study analysis, four major themes emerged: Inequity and Bias, Objectification, Stereotypes, and Undervaluing Women. This poster focuses on the “Stereotypes” theme.

The analysis of the responses within the Stereotypes theme produced six categories (Scribner, Townsend, & Madsen, 2021):
1. Gender stereotypes (general): Generalizations about the characteristics and qualities of men and women based solely on their gender.
2. Women should prioritize homemaker roles: Comments indicating that women’s highest priorities should be connected to marriage, motherhood, and homemaking.
3. Women’s internalized sexism: Sexist beliefs/attitudes held by women about other women or about them-selves.
4. Motherhood penalty: Situations when women in professional settings are penalized (e.g., loss of opportunity, pay, advancement) once they become mothers.
5. Benevolent sexism: Comments or behaviors that treat women differently in what seems to be a positive way but that can undermine or otherwise penalize them.
6. Double bind/double standard: Circumstances in which women are expected to exhibit or shun certain behaviors relating to gender stereotypes and are punished when behaving contrary to gender norms.

This presentation offers examples of comments made in each of these categories. Overall, 69.8% of all comments (N=1,221) in this study related to one of the categories under this “Stereotypes” theme. In addition to reporting sexist comments, participants were asked to answer four questions about the context of each comment, including the gender of the person making the comment, the relative authority of the commenter, the commenter’s approximate age, and the setting in which the comment was made. The major themes for the responses included direct response, no response, internal afterthoughts, indirect response, emotional response, and other responses.

Speaking up against sexism can be a powerful force for reducing gender inequity, as it can help others challenge their own biases and model more equitable forms of communication (Kuschmider, 2021). Being prepared to respond to everyday sexism can help women feel more confident in their interactions with others. By raising awareness of the widespread occurrence and damaging effects of sexist language, comments, beliefs, and behaviors, we can reduce the frequency of sexism in our homes, neighborhoods, businesses, communities, and in our society more generally. This will help provide more conducive environments for women to advance in their careers and to become leaders in all types of organizations and domains.