Citation

Salomon K, Burgess KD, Bosson JK. J. Exp. Psychol. Gen. 2015; 144(2): 469-479.

Affiliation

Department of Psychology, University of South Florida.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2015, American Psychological Association)

DOI

10.1037/xge0000061

PMID

25844626

Abstract

Women's cardiovascular responses to sexist treatment are documented, but researchers have yet to consider these responses separately as a function of sexism type (hostile vs. benevolent). This study demonstrates distinct effects of hostile and benevolent sexism for women's cardiovascular responses that indicate increased risk for cardiovascular disease. Female participants performed a demanding insight task after exposure to a male researcher who offered them a hostilely sexist, benevolently sexist, or nonsexist comment. Women displayed heightened cardiovascular reactivity (increases from baseline) during the task following hostile sexism, and they displayed impaired cardiovascular recovery (return to baseline after the task) following benevolent sexism. The effects seen in the hostile condition were mediated by self-reported anger. These findings indicate that women's affective responses to hostile and benevolent sexism differ but that exposure to both forms of sexism may have negative cardiovascular consequences. (PsycINFO Database Record

Language: en