Contemporary sexism

In my Marie Sklodowska Curie project, I aim to identify contemporary manifestations of sexism and examine their nature, prevalence, and consequences from the target’s and the perpetrator’s perspective.

Addressing existing research gaps, I will systematically examine 1) ways that sexism is expressed today, 2) the extent to which cis women and men, non-binary, and transgender individuals are exposed to, and perpetrate, sexism, 3) causal links between exposure to sexism and lifestyle and career choices, and 4) perpetrators’ perceptions of the effects of sexism, and their willingness to use sexism strategically for their own benefits. I will also study how characteristics – such as race, ethnicity, age, socioeconomic status, and sexual orientation – intersectionally impact on the exposure to, and perpetration of, sexism.

The ultimate aim of this project is to facilitate a better understanding of contemporary sexism, which is paramount to prevent its occurrence and mitigate its negative consequences.

The project builds on work, conducted during my PhD, where I and colleagues documented the Belief in Sexism Shift, a new, contemporary form of sexism that is characterized by the victimization of men, and developed a scale to measure it.