History of Feminism

A research project led by a Western Carolina University psychology professor indicates that exposure to sexist humour can lead to tolerance of hostile feelings and discrimination against women.

Like we needed a scientific study to reach that conclusion...

Still, it's important to point to actual studies that pinpoint the results of something so many consider utterly benign. In the study, men were exposed to sexist images and humour, and then asked to participate in a project designed to determine how funding cuts should be allocated among select student organizations.

The study found that, upon exposure to sexist humour, men higher in sexism discriminated against women by allocating larger funding cuts to a women's organization than they did to other organizations. They also found that, in the presence of sexist humour, participants believed the other participants would approve of the funding cuts to women's organizations.

What this shows is that humorous disparagement creates the perception of a shared standard of tolerance of discrimination that may guide behaviour when people believe others feel the same way.

"Sexist humor is not simply benign amusement. It can affect men's perceptions of their immediate social surroundings and allow them to feel comfortable with behavioral expressions of sexism without the fear of disapproval of their peers," said Thomas E. Ford, a faculty member in the psychology department at WCU. "Specifically, we propose that sexist humor acts as a 'releaser' of prejudice."