Benevolent sexism

Benevolent sexism is a variety of sexism that is, on its surface, positive ("benevolent") toward women.

Examples

• "Women are so good at communication"
  • This is an example of essentialism. To the extent that women seem to be better at communication than men, it's that higher expectations are placed on women.
• "Women are great at understanding the user, so you should work on the front end" (Pigeonholing)
  • The belief that women have more empathy is another example of essentialism. Men are able to avoid learning social skills because they're not expected to be empathetic.
• "Women are nicer and more polite than men"
  • This is benevolent sexism when stated as an innate truth about women, outside the context that women are systematically punished for not being excessively polite and deferential.
• "Women are too smart to work long hours for little reward" [1]
  • If working long hours wasn't rewarding, then men wouldn't do it. Of course, many women don't want to work long hours for little reward, and most men don't either.
• "Women are more interested in applications of technology to help people than in theoretical work"
  • This view was expressed in the book Unlocking the Clubhouse, and was later debunked.
• "Women aren't violent"
  • Women can participate in the violent enforcement of patriarchy by committing violence against children and other women (an example of a patriarchal bargain). Women can and do commit child abuse; lesbian, bisexual or pansexual women in relationships with other women or with non-binary people can also engage in domestic violence against their non-male partners.

Research and further reading

• BS at work: how benevolent sexism undermines women and justifies backlash
• How Nice of Us and How Dumb of Me: The Effect of Exposure to Benevolent Sexism on Women’s Task and Relational Self-Descriptions