WELLINGTON (Xinhua) — A recent study conducted by the University of Auckland has shed light on the impact of deeply ingrained sexist beliefs on parenting behavior, suggesting that individuals who endorse male dominance in society and within the family tend to be less responsive to their children during family interactions.
Lead author of the research, Nickola Overall, a researcher from the University of Auckland, highlighted the long-standing association between sexism and negative behavior towards women, ranging from discrimination to violence.
This groundbreaking study, published in the journal “Social Psychological and Personality Science” on Tuesday, is the first of its kind to indicate that these effects may extend to suboptimal parenting practices.
In a controlled laboratory setting, family groups were video-recorded, and researchers evaluated parents’ responsiveness, which included warmth, involvement, engagement, and sensitivity toward their children. Notably, parents who displayed lower levels of responsiveness—both mothers and fathers—were found to endorse higher levels of “hostile sexism.” This academic term describes attitudes that favor male authority and exhibit antagonism towards women who challenge men’s societal power, as revealed by the study.
While it was expected that fathers who held sexist attitudes would display poorer parenting behaviors, the discovery that mothers who shared these views were also less responsive parents came as a surprise. Overall suggested that this could be due to mothers following the lead of fathers in family interactions, resulting in less engaged parenting. Another possibility is that mothers may intentionally protect their traditional caregiving role by limiting the father’s involvement, which subsequently affects their responsiveness to their children.
Responsive parenting is crucial for fostering healthy child development, and a lack of responsiveness can lead to behavioral issues, emotional difficulties, and lower academic achievement.
Nickola Overall and her co-authors from the Victoria University of Wellington and the University of Essex emphasise that these novel findings provide new insights into the broader impact of sexist attitudes on children spanning generations.
Additionally, the study underscores the need to explore why some women continue to endorse sexist attitudes despite the evident harm they pose to women and children.
