Posted on 02/11/2003 9:27:41 AM PST by Mr. Jeeves
LOS ANGELES (Reuters Health) - Chivalry isn't all it's cracked up to be, suggests new research showing that men who hold doors for women also tend to hold sexist views about them.
"On the surface, you would say these are really polite gentlemen," said study author William Altermatt, an assistant professor of psychology at the University of Michigan in Flint.
But women may not find their underlying beliefs about the opposite sex very considerate, he said.
At a recent meeting of the Society for Personality and Social Psychology, Altermatt reported research showing that men who supported chivalry also generally believed that women are not as competent and powerful as men and that their place is in the home.
In one study, 201 college students (66% male) completed questionnaires about their beliefs on chivalry and attitudes toward women.
Responses revealed a clear association between chivalry and sexist beliefs, a link that is based on stereotypes, Altermatt and colleagues found.
The belief that women are less competent and powerful than men explained both chivalry --that women must be protected and provided for by men--and sexist beliefs that women are not qualified for high-power positions, the researchers concluded.
In a second study, they sought more information about chivalry and female stereotypes from an additional 185 college students (62% male). Participants evaluated three stereotypical subgroups of women and also completed a questionnaire about their views on chivalry.
The participants reporting high support for chivalry gave more favorable ratings to homemakers and less favorable ratings to career women and sexually permissive women than the low-chivalry participants did.
The researchers said these findings extend those of the first study by suggesting that chivalrous men not only endorse the stereotype that women are less competent and powerful than men but also disapprove of women who violate this stereotype--those who are high in competence and power or low in virtue.
While women shared some of the same views as men, there were differences. "Men were more favorable to chivalry than women and they also had more stereotypes of women," Altermatt said.
He describes chivalry as a type of "benevolent sexism." While chivalry may seem nice, he explained, the basis for it nonetheless is that women are in need of help by men.
"It makes men look great, but it's also got this baggage," Altermatt said. "It doesn't always make sense."
I don't remember them interviewing me.
Homemakers/stay at home moms (God bless you), have been getting a bad rap for years and years and I'm sick of it. I'm sick of the left giving men a bad rap, too.
silly me - it was NOT an intentional parody - just my own bad proofreading.
I should have said that their hatred of the natural order combined with sicko lust for other women, combined with the casual meaningless sex with irresponsible men, lead to millions of abortions AND millions of bastard children.
Actually, no. Most of Cartoon Network is verboten in our house. Also -- regrettably -- Disney Channel, since it's mostly just new-age PC crap. We pulled the plug on that when I found myself watching it and saying over and over, "Walt must be spinning in his grave at the stuff being done in his name by Eisner and company." Looney Toons and Tom and Jerry are still okay, and Animal Planet is pretty harmless.
The problem is when our children go to friends' houses, where the parental (there's that word again!) controls are more lax, or nonexistent.
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