Benevolent sexism is a view of women as pure, delicate, and in need of care and protection by men. Which of the following statements about benevolent sexism is true?

Question

BlackTom AI · Accepted Answer

First, let's restate what benevolent sexism is: a set of beliefs that cast women as pure, delicate, and in need of male protection, which can appear positive on the surface but sustain gender inequality.
Option A proposes that, according to System Justification Theory, these views serve an ego-defensive purpose by reducing anxiety and help justify a unequal status quo (Van der Toorn & Jost, 2014). This aligns with the idea that benevolent sexism can function to stabilize existing hierarchies by offering a comforting rationalization for the current power structure.
Option B claims that Fiske and colleagues (2000) find this view more common in contexts with stronger structural gender-inequality. This is consistent with research showing benevolent sexism is more prevalent where traditional gender roles are more salient or where inequality is more pronounced, as it provides a seemingly positive justification that preserves status differences.
Option C states that these beliefs are common among both high-status groups (men) and low-status groups (women). Although the content may appear to privilege men, empirical work notes that benevolent sexism can be endorsed by both groups, sometimes as internalized norms or socialized expectations across genders.
Option D says 'All of the above.' If A, B, and C each capture a valid facet of benevolent sexism as described in the cited theories, then this umbrella option would be true because it aggregates the correct points from the prior statements.
To evaluate the plausibility of each option, consider how benevolent sexism operates: it both praises women and restricts them to traditional roles; it can reduce perceived threat by normalizing inequality; and it may be endorsed across different social groups depending on context and norms. Each of A, B, and C reflects a distinctive but compatible aspect of that literature, making it coherent to group them under a single inclusive statement.
A deeper look at potential misconceptions: Option A does not claim benevolent sexism is the only form of sexism, but rather describes its function in the system-justifying process. Option B does not imply universality, only a contextual prevalence. Option C might seem counterintuitive to some, but research has shown internalization or endorsement across groups can occur due to socialization pressures. None of these statements are inherently incorrect when framed within the broader literature on benevolent sexism.
Putting it together, the combination of A, B, and C presents a consistent and comprehensive picture, which is captured by Option D. The 'All of the above' choice appropriately acknowledges that benevolent sexism operates through multiple, overlapping mechanisms across different contexts and groups.

PSYC20009_2025_SM2 Exam: Personality and Social Psychology (PSYC20009_2025_SM2)- Requires Respondus LockDown Browser

Benevolent sexism is a view of women as pure, delicate, and in need of care and protection by men. Which of the following statements about benevolent sexism is true?

View Explanation

Log in for full answers

Similar Questions

Benevolent sexism is a view of women as pure, delicate, and in need of care and protection by men. Which of the following statements about benevolent sexism is true?

Which of these is not true about benevolent sexism

In a consumer society, many adults channel creativity into buying things

Economic stress and unpredictable times have resulted in a booming industry for self-help products

People born without creativity never can develop it

A product has a selling price of $20, a contribution margin ratio of 40% and fixed cost of $120,000. To make a profit of $30,000. The number of units that must be sold is: Type the number without $ and a comma. Eg: 20000

More Practical Tools for Students Powered by AI Study Helper

Homework AI Solver

Stylized AI Paper Writer

Plagiarism Checker Assistant

Citation AI Academic Writing Tool

In-Class Translation Assistant

AI Note Generator

AI Quiz Answers

Past Exam Questions from University Test Bank

Smart Practice Assistant

Adaptive Practice

Making Your Study Simpler