Recent research published in Journal of social and personal relationships provide evidence that youth who hold hostile sexist beliefs are more likely to engage in behaviors intended to undermine the social relationships of their peers. The findings suggest that challenging traditional gender norms among young people may not only reduce prejudice but also improve the way young people interact with each other.
Scientists typically study aggressive behavior by focusing on predictors related to small social circles, such as family and school environments. This approach tends to overlook how broader societal beliefs, such as gender and power expectations, influence human interactions. To address this gap, scientists wanted to investigate the relationship between sexist attitudes and a specific type of social harm known as relational aggression.
Relational aggression involves behavior aimed at hurting someone by hurting their friendships, reputation, or sense of social inclusion. These attacks may include spreading malicious gossip, intentionally excluding someone from group activities, or giving co-workers the silent treatment.
Relational aggression generally takes two different forms. Proactive relational aggression is calculated and used to achieve a specific goal, such as gaining social status or forcing someone to comply with a request. Reactive relational aggression occurs in the moment as an angry or hostile reaction to a perceived threat or insult.
Sex discrimination can also be divided into two forms. Hostile sexism is an overtly negative attitude that views women as subordinate and seeks to control those who challenge male supremacy. Benevolent sexism involves a protective and benign attitude towards women as long as they adhere to traditional domestic roles.
The researchers wanted to see if holding sexist beliefs could influence the way young people navigate their social circles. They hypothesized that individuals invested in maintaining strict gender disparities may use relational aggression to police peers and protect their social status. Relational aggression can serve as a tool to punish those who deviate from expected gender norms.
“Gender norms influence how aggressive behavior is perceived and enacted, so we wanted to explore the intersection between behavioral research and research on gender-related attitudes,” said study author Marion Chatrois, a doctoral candidate at the University of Quebec in Montreal.
To explore these connections, researchers analyzed data from an ongoing longitudinal study tracking the social development of young people in Quebec, Canada. The current study included 571 participants between the ages of 17 and 22. Most of these participants had a history of childhood behavioral problems, allowing the researchers to study a group more prone to aggressive behavior.
The sample was almost evenly split between men and women. Individuals who identified as sexual minorities were excluded from the final analysis because their numbers were too small to be statistically comparable. The majority of participants identified as white and heterosexual.
Participants completed a survey designed to measure the use of relational aggression and ambivalent sexist attitudes. Research assistants read survey items to participants in person or via video call and recorded responses. Participants received compensation of $80 CAD for their time.
The researchers also considered whether participants had a history of behavioral problems in childhood. This statistical control helped identify the specific effects of sexism on current behavior. We then used complex statistical models to examine associations between survey responses.
The data showed that participants with high scores on hostile sexism were more likely to use both active and passive relational aggression. This suggests that young people with hostile views about gender roles may engage in behaviors that allow them to control relationships with their peers in order to maintain their dominance. They may spread rumors or exclude their peers as a way to protect their position within a rigid gendered hierarchy.
Those who are committed to maintaining gender hierarchies may feel threatened by those who do not conform to them. They seem to use relational aggression as a low-risk tool to punish those who break the rules and protect their own status. This type of attack is often considered less serious than physical violence, so it’s an easy way to assert dominance.
Researchers also found that a person’s gender influences these behavioral patterns. Specifically, the association between hostile sexism and reactive relational aggression was stronger for men than for women. Men who endorse hostile sexist beliefs may be particularly prone to social aggression when they feel angry or threatened.
“Young people who have more hostile sexist attitudes are more likely to use relational aggression, meaning they seek to undermine the social relationships of their peers,” Chatrois told SciPost. “They may use relational aggression to protect their social status within gendered hierarchies, to police those who do not conform to sexist norms, and to protect themselves from perceived threats to their gender identity.”
“Therefore, preventing sexist attitudes among young people by challenging traditional gender norms can not only prevent the development of harmful prejudices, but also improve the way young people interact with each other.”
Benevolent sexism was not associated with either form of relational aggression. Because benevolent sexism involves a protective attitude, it may not provoke the same hostile or calculating social attacks. This form of sexism views social systems as fair, which can conflict with the need to actively manipulate others.
“Although benevolent sexism is not associated with relational aggression in our study, it is not a benign or ‘aggressive’ form of sexism,” Chatrois noted. “Victim blaming and failure to recognize violence indirectly justify violence. Both hostile sexism and benevolent sexism mutually reinforce attitudes that force people into certain restrictive gender roles and support patriarchal systems that exercise social control over women.”
Although this study provides a new perspective on peer aggression, as with all research, there are some limitations that should be considered. The data collected was from a single point in time, meaning the researchers cannot prove that sexist beliefs cause relational aggression. They can only conclude that the two concepts are statistically related.
Because this study was based on self-reported behavior, future research may benefit from including observations from friends and colleagues to more accurately capture participants’ social behavior. The researchers also plan to examine how the desire to be popular interacts with gender stereotypes and influences the way young people treat each other.
“Our research team would like to continue studying the influence of hierarchical beliefs and patriarchal gender norms on aggressive behavior,” said Chatrois. “Notably, Boutin, Martin Storey, and colleagues address the joint influence of sexism, gender stereotypes, and the desire to be popular on the use of relational aggression.”
The study, “Is gender discrimination associated with youth’s use of relational aggression? The moderating effect of gender,” was authored by Marion Chatelois, Stéphanie Boutin, Alexa Martin Storey, Michelle Dery, and Mélanie Lapalme.
