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Why do men crack sexist jokes?
The findings of an interesting new study suggest that men who tell sexist jokes are actually insecure with fragile egos. Researchers from South Carolina University in the US studied 387 heterosexual men. PHOTO | FILE
What you need to know:
- The researchers found that men who felt that their masculinity roles is threatened are more likely to tell sexists jokes.
- Telling these jokes helps affirm their masculinity. The men admitted to believing that showing amusement to sexist jokes will make others see them as more masculine.
- The researchers found that sexist humour was a common form of sexual harassment in offices.
Every woman has found herself listening to sexist joke at least once in her life, whether at work or in social settings. And they run the range – from where women belong (kitchen or bedroom) to their hormonal challenges and mood swings.
It is difficult to determine how all women react to these ‘jokes’ – some women participate, others shrug them off and some tell men off. However the one thing that women who have found themselves in this situation agree on though is that men who tell sexist jokes are domineering, chauvinistic pigs. Turns out that this is a wrong assumption.
The findings of an interesting new study suggest that men who tell sexist jokes are actually insecure with fragile egos. Researchers from South Carolina University in the US studied 387 heterosexual men.
The study subjects were asked to fill in forms to determine their beliefs, attitudes and levels of prejudice against women. Through the survey, the men’s preferred type of humour was also deciphered as well as whether or not they thought their type of humour would help others form an accurate impression of them.
The researchers found that sexist humour was a common form of sexual harassment in offices. It was found to be particularly common in work places where women held leadership positions. Seeing as humour is thought to be harmless, sexist jokes become the go-to crutch for a man feeling threated in the workplace.
The researchers found that men who felt that their masculinity roles is threatened are more likely to tell sexists jokes. Telling these jokes helps affirm their masculinity. The men admitted to believing that showing amusement to sexist jokes will make others see them as more masculine.
“Men with precarious manhood beliefs believe sexist humour re-affirms an accurate, more masculine impression of them,” says Emma O’ Connor, the lead study author.
The researchers hope that understanding the instances in which sexist jokes are told will help reduce or eliminate the use of sexist jokes at the work place. Managers aware of this could more closely monitor situations where masculinity might be threatened and thus reduce the instances of sexist joking.
