“A Giant Leap for Mankind”, but What About Women? The Role of System-Justifying Ideologies in Predicting Attitudes Toward Sexist Language

摘要

Sexist language excludes, trivializes or diminishes either gender. Despite efforts by manyudprofessional bodies to encourage the use of nonsexist alternatives, sexist language useudpersists across many languages. Further, research has shown that men are less supportive ofudnonsexist language alternatives than women, and that this effect is mediated by attitudesudtoward women. We propose that broader ideologies related to the perceived legitimacy ofuddominance hierarchies and existing social systems also explain this gender gap. Britishudundergraduate participants completed measures of attitudes toward women, gender-specificudsystem justification, and social dominance orientation. They also completed an inventory ofudattitudes toward sexist language. There was a strong gender difference in attitudes towardudsexist language that was significantly mediated by gender-specific system justification andudsocial dominance orientation. The relationship between gender and attitudes toward sexistudlanguage therefore appears to be driven by broader ideologies that serve to keep women “inudtheir place”.