“Not Like Other Girls”: Implicit and Explicit Dimensions of Internalized Sexism and Behavioral Outcomes
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Western Washington University Western CEDAR WWU Graduate School Collection WWU Graduate and Undergraduate Scholarship Spring 2021 “Not Like Other Girls”: Implicit and Explicit Dimensions of Internalized Sexism and Behavioral Outcomes Kira K. Means Western Washington University, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://cedar.wwu.edu/wwuet Part of the Psychology Commons Recommended Citation Means, Kira K., "“Not Like Other Girls”: Implicit and Explicit Dimensions of Internalized Sexism and Behavioral Outcomes" (2021). WWU Graduate School Collection. 1020. https://cedar.wwu.edu/wwuet/1020 This Masters Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the WWU Graduate and Undergraduate Scholarship at Western CEDAR. It has been accepted for inclusion in WWU Graduate School Collection by an authorized administrator of Western CEDAR. For more information, please contact [email protected]. “Not Like Other Girls”: Implicit and Explicit Dimensions of Internalized Sexism and Behavioral Outcomes By Kira K. Means Accepted in Partial Completion of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Science ADVISORY COMMITTEE Dr. Kristi Lemm, Chair Dr. Kate McLean Dr. Alex Czopp GRADUATE SCHOOL David L. Patrick, Dean Master’s Thesis In presenting this thesis in partial fulfillment of the requirements for a master’s degree at Western Washington University, I grant to Western Washington University the non-exclusive royalty-free right to archive, reproduce, distribute, and display the thesis in any and all forms, including electronic format, via any digital library mechanisms maintained by WWU. I represent and warrant this is my original work, and does not infringe or violate any rights of others. I warrant that I have obtained written permissions from the owner of any third party copyrighted material included in these files. I acknowledge that I retain ownership rights to the copyright of this work, including but not limited to the right to use all or part of this work in future works, such as articles or books. Library users are granted permission for individual, research and non-commercial reproduction of this work for educational purposes only. Any further digital posting of this document requires specific permission from the author. Any copying or publication of this thesis for commercial purposes, or for financial gain, is not allowed without my written permission. Kira K. Means May 4, 2021 “Not Like Other Girls”: Implicit and Explicit Dimensions of Internalized Sexism and Behavioral Outcomes A Thesis Presented to The Faculty of Western Washington University In Partial Fulfillment Of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Science by Kira K. Means May 2021 iv Abstract Unlike other forms of internalized oppression, internalized sexism, or women’s bias against other women, has been rarely studied in psychology. In this study, we aimed to determine whether implicit and explicit internalized sexism would predict internally sexist comments made in focus groups. Driven primarily by System Justification Theory, we hypothesized that implicit internalized sexism would predict participants’ proportions of internalized-sexism coded comments even above and beyond the effect of explicit internalized sexism. We also hypothesized that internalized sexism would be negatively associated with self-esteem. Participants completed measures of implicit and explicit internalized sexism as well as measures of implicit and explicit self-esteem. Participants then discussed clips from the reality television show The Bachelor in small focus groups. The data did not support hypothesized associations between either implicit or explicit internalized sexism and internalized sexism-coded comments. Additionally, we did not find significant evidence of associations between internalized sexism and self-esteem. While the data did not support our hypotheses, they did prompt compelling questions to be investigated by future research. Guided by the limitations of this study and by the qualitative data, we suggest several potential directions for future studies in this area. Keywords: internalized sexism, prejudice, sexism, stereotypes, intragroup relations, implicit social cognition v Acknowledgements Thank you so much, first and foremost, to my wonderful advisor and chair, Dr. Kristi Lemm. Dr. Lemm has been a tremendous support throughout my graduate school experience. She has read through many drafts of this thesis and provided invaluable expertise. She has also been a supportive presence for me when I have most needed it. I would like to thank my committee members, Dr. Alex Czopp and Dr. Kate McLean, very much for their detailed feedback on this project. The resulting study was improved immensely by their involvement. I would also like to acknowledge Dr. Barbara Lehman, professor and director of the Experimental Psychology program. Dr. Lehman was enormously helpful in guiding the statistical analyses required by this project. I greatly appreciate the time she volunteered to help me when I needed it, as well as her support and expertise as I have navigated this program. I would not have been able to complete this project without the help of my two research assistants, Bekah and Alana. Bekah and Alana not only put many hours into coding focus group transcripts, but also met with me multiple times to come to consensus on coding disagreements. Their engagement and precision were integral to this project. Lastly, I would like to acknowledge my incredible network of family and friends. My family’s care and love has been integral to my success in this program. I can’t thank them enough for all of their help. My friends near and far have provided crucial support. In particular, I would like to acknowledge my Experimental Psychology cohort. I am constantly thankful that, before COVID-19, we were able to form tight-knit bonds in person. The ability to commiserate with and confide in others who understand the demands of graduate school was extremely helpful. Thank you especially to Drew, Vida, and Allison for always listening and caring. vi Table of Contents Abstract .......................................................................................................................................... iv Acknowledgements ..........................................................................................................................v List of Tables and Figures.............................................................................................................. ix Introduction ......................................................................................................................................1 What is Internalized Sexism?...............................................................................................2 Internalized Oppression .......................................................................................................3 Sexism and its Effects ..............................................................................................5 System Justification Theory .....................................................................................6 The Internalized Misogyny Scale ........................................................................................7 Implicit vs. Explicit Internalized Sexism .............................................................................8 The Present Study ..............................................................................................................11 Hypotheses .............................................................................................................12 Method ...........................................................................................................................................14 Participants .........................................................................................................................14 Materials ............................................................................................................................15 Internalized Misogyny Scale..................................................................................15 Measures of Implicit Associations .........................................................................16 Self-Esteem Measures ............................................................................................18 Focus Group Clips/Discussion Questions ..............................................................19 vii Procedure ...........................................................................................................................22 Results ............................................................................................................................................25 Data Cleaning and Preparation ..........................................................................................25 Coding ....................................................................................................................25 Data Cleaning.........................................................................................................26 Measure Reliability and Validity .......................................................................................27 Descriptive Statistics ..........................................................................................................28 Hypothesis Testing.............................................................................................................30