Just a Few Bad Apples: Perceiving Sexist Men as Non-Typical to the Larger Category of Men Serves to Maintain the Gender Hierarchy

Abstract

Social problems, including those related to gender discrimination, are often simplistically attributed to a few ‘bad apples’ rather than systemic issues. This research explores one aspect of this under-investigated phenomenon by focusing on women's perceptions of sexist men. Three pre-registered correlational studies (n = 647) explored whether women's tendency to perceive sexist men as non-typical (‘bad apples’) versus typical of the larger category of men is associated with benefits on intrapersonal and interpersonal levels but with costs on an intergroup level. At the intrapersonal and interpersonal levels, perceiving sexist men as non-typical was associated with a stronger feeling of well-being, more positive perceptions of men, and stronger social connectedness with men. However, at the intergroup level, it was associated with lower intentions to engage in collective action on behalf of women's issues. These findings suggest that perceiving the subgroup of sexist men as non-typical of the larger category of men is a perception that may contribute to maintaining the gender status quo. The societal and practical implications of this research are elaborated in the accompanying social impact statement. Please refer to the Supporting Information section to find this article's Community and Social Impact Statement.