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Chivalry Linked to Sexist Views of Women
Yahoo! ^ | 2/11/2003 | Jacqueline Stenson

Posted on 02/11/2003 9:27:41 AM PST by Mr. Jeeves

LOS ANGELES (Reuters Health) - Chivalry isn't all it's cracked up to be, suggests new research showing that men who hold doors for women also tend to hold sexist views about them.

"On the surface, you would say these are really polite gentlemen," said study author William Altermatt, an assistant professor of psychology at the University of Michigan in Flint.

But women may not find their underlying beliefs about the opposite sex very considerate, he said.

At a recent meeting of the Society for Personality and Social Psychology, Altermatt reported research showing that men who supported chivalry also generally believed that women are not as competent and powerful as men and that their place is in the home.

In one study, 201 college students (66% male) completed questionnaires about their beliefs on chivalry and attitudes toward women.

Responses revealed a clear association between chivalry and sexist beliefs, a link that is based on stereotypes, Altermatt and colleagues found.

The belief that women are less competent and powerful than men explained both chivalry --that women must be protected and provided for by men--and sexist beliefs that women are not qualified for high-power positions, the researchers concluded.

In a second study, they sought more information about chivalry and female stereotypes from an additional 185 college students (62% male). Participants evaluated three stereotypical subgroups of women and also completed a questionnaire about their views on chivalry.

The participants reporting high support for chivalry gave more favorable ratings to homemakers and less favorable ratings to career women and sexually permissive women than the low-chivalry participants did.

The researchers said these findings extend those of the first study by suggesting that chivalrous men not only endorse the stereotype that women are less competent and powerful than men but also disapprove of women who violate this stereotype--those who are high in competence and power or low in virtue.

While women shared some of the same views as men, there were differences. "Men were more favorable to chivalry than women and they also had more stereotypes of women," Altermatt said.

He describes chivalry as a type of "benevolent sexism." While chivalry may seem nice, he explained, the basis for it nonetheless is that women are in need of help by men.

"It makes men look great, but it's also got this baggage," Altermatt said. "It doesn't always make sense."


TOPICS: Culture/Society; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: feminism; frgenderwars
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"Sexist Republican Pig! How dare you hold that door for me!!!"
1 posted on 02/11/2003 9:27:41 AM PST by Mr. Jeeves
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To: Mr. Jeeves
This is crap.
2 posted on 02/11/2003 9:28:57 AM PST by KC_Conspirator
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To: Mr. Jeeves
There really is no winning is there?
3 posted on 02/11/2003 9:30:25 AM PST by tcostell
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To: Mr. Jeeves
Oy vey.

Shoot me now...
4 posted on 02/11/2003 9:32:11 AM PST by Mr. Thorne (Where's the global warming?! I'm cold NOW!)
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To: KC_Conspirator
I agree. Why do we feed these people?
5 posted on 02/11/2003 9:32:26 AM PST by boxer
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To: Mr. Jeeves
The fact that there was public money lying around to fund a study like this is depressing.
6 posted on 02/11/2003 9:32:48 AM PST by SoDak
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To: Mr. Jeeves
The participants reporting high support for chivalry gave more favorable ratings to homemakers and less favorable ratings to career women ... suggesting that chivalrous men ... disapprove of women who ... are high in competence

I think this whole thing is stupid. The above "logical" chain of supposition on the part of the researcher really shows that they are pushing an agenda and grasping at straws to do so.

7 posted on 02/11/2003 9:33:52 AM PST by ClearCase_guy
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To: Mr. Jeeves
Radical feminists have protested against having doors held for them for at least thirty years. And now this guy does a study--well funded with tax money, no doubt--to confirm it.

One more instance of a researcher finding what he wanted to find in the first place. Besides, if he had found anything else, he would never get another research grant or promotion.

Politically correct scholars are little better than lemmings.
8 posted on 02/11/2003 9:34:32 AM PST by Cicero
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To: Mr. Jeeves
...disapprove of women ...who are low in virtue.

What?! Dissapprove of somebody's lack of virtue? How unenlightened. Next thing you know, people will start to approve of virtue. That could lead to standards of behavior, which could lead to intact families, which could lead to well-adjusted children, which could lead to a decrease in the need for counseling, which could lead to the unemployment of professors of psychology.

9 posted on 02/11/2003 9:35:15 AM PST by Jeff Chandler ( ; -)
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To: Mr. Jeeves
"The soft chivalry of low expectations"
10 posted on 02/11/2003 9:37:37 AM PST by cicero's_son
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To: Mr. Jeeves
LOS ANGELES (Reuters Health) - Chivalry isn't all it's cracked up to be, suggests new research showing that men who hold doors for women also tend to hold sexist views about them.

Heaven knows I do! I haven't gotten many complaints about it in my time, either.

11 posted on 02/11/2003 9:38:36 AM PST by HitmanLV
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To: Mr. Jeeves; dead; TomServo; Texaggie79; weikel
What do you tell a woman with two black eyes?

Nothing, you already told her twice!

;-)

12 posted on 02/11/2003 9:40:03 AM PST by Sir Gawain
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To: Mr. Jeeves
Destroying the last vestiges of culture and civility, that's what this is all about...
13 posted on 02/11/2003 9:40:29 AM PST by Junior (I stole your tag line)
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To: ClearCase_guy
http://spruce.flint.umich.edu/~altermat/

T. William Altermatt, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Department of Psychology
University of Michigan-Flint
411 Murchie Science Building
303 East Kearsley Street
Flint, MI 48502

altermat@umflint.edu
(810) 762-3468


14 posted on 02/11/2003 9:42:03 AM PST by Jeff Chandler ( ; -)
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To: HitmanNY
Yup, I hold doors for them too, and the elderly, and anyone who is close to the door so that it does not slam in their face. where in the survey do I fit.

Women, I belive with all my heart that they are different in important ways from men. Oh yes, and some are pretty, some are smart, some are...
15 posted on 02/11/2003 9:44:46 AM PST by KC_for_Freedom
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To: Mr. Jeeves
Fine. I'm a sexist. So what?
16 posted on 02/11/2003 9:46:28 AM PST by B-Chan (Ad Astra Per Ardua)
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To: KC_for_Freedom
I remember being in NJ on business and when I would hold the doors (like I always do), the women would give me the evil eye, like I was insulting them. Not that I needed another reason to hate it up north.
17 posted on 02/11/2003 9:46:48 AM PST by Sir Gawain
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To: KC_for_Freedom
Women, I belive with all my heart that they are different in important ways from men.

Viva La Difference!

18 posted on 02/11/2003 9:47:50 AM PST by Jeff Chandler ( ; -)
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To: Mr. Jeeves
The belief that women are less competent and powerful than men explained both chivalry --that women must be protected and provided for by men--and sexist beliefs that women are not qualified for high-power positions, the researchers concluded.

There is so much to dissect here - I am really angry about this crap. These sick sexually confused people should not get a PENNY of public money. The feminist agenda is ruining families and millions of lives. I know. I was in Berkely at one of the first "women's liberation" meeetings in 68 or 69.

Feminazis are angry, lesbian, hateful bitches who want to destroy God's natural order. It is very very sad and dangerous that this kind of horse s**t is being crammed down kids' throats in school and media. Girls nowadays - and boys - are indoctrinated with this psychotic nonsense. "Feminism" means: Women have the right to be (and should be) sluts, they should be lesbians, and they must hate men. They must have abortions, and the result is millions of bastard children. And men can have sex any old time with any woman and feel no repsonsibility. After all, why keep a cow at home when you can buy milk in the market? I really hate this c*p.

No wonder kids are totally confused and can't form relationships. They don't know what a normal marriage looks like.

Why can't they see that men and women have different psychologies and different roles? Answer: they want to detroy society since they are envious of the Creator.

19 posted on 02/11/2003 9:49:21 AM PST by First Amendment
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To: Sir Gawain
I remember being in NJ on business and when I would hold the doors (like I always do), the women would give me the evil eye, like I was insulting them.

I have never in my life gotten a bad reaction from a woman for holding a door, or for any other act of chivalry. (Being ruggedly handsome has its advantages!)

20 posted on 02/11/2003 9:50:41 AM PST by Jeff Chandler ( ; -)
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