Lesley University DigitalCommons@Lesley Graduate School of Arts and Social Sciences Counseling and Psychology Dissertations (GSASS) Spring 1-15-2021 WOMEN'S LIVED EXPERIENCES WITH BENEVOLENT SEXISM Sarah Schwerdel MA, LMHC Lesley University, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.lesley.edu/counseling_dissertations Part of the Counseling Psychology Commons Recommended Citation Schwerdel, Sarah MA, LMHC, "WOMEN'S LIVED EXPERIENCES WITH BENEVOLENT SEXISM" (2021). Counseling and Psychology Dissertations. 7. https://digitalcommons.lesley.edu/counseling_dissertations/7 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School of Arts and Social Sciences (GSASS) at DigitalCommons@Lesley. It has been accepted for inclusion in Counseling and Psychology Dissertations by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@Lesley. For more information, please contact [email protected], [email protected]. WOMEN’S LIVED EXPERIENCES WITH BENEVOLENT SEXISM A Dissertation submitted by Sarah A. Schwerdel In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Lesley University December 2020 © 2020 Sarah A. Schwerdel All rights reserved. WOMEN'S LIVED EXPERIENCES iii Dissertation Final Approval Form Division of Counseling and Psychology Lesley University This dissertation, titled: WOMEN’S LIVED EXPERIENCES WITH BENEVOLENT SEXISM as submitted for final approval by Sarah Schwerdel under the direction of the chair of the dissertation committee listed below. It was submitted to the Counseling and Psychology Division and approved in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Degree at Lesley University. Approved: Sue L. Motulsky, Ed.D. Diana Direiter, Ph.D. Jo Ann Gammel, Ph.D. ______ Susan H. Gere, Ph.D. Sandra Walker, MBA December 12, 2020 WOMEN'S LIVED EXPERIENCES iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to extend my deepest gratitude to the participants who generously shared their time and stories with me. Thank you for trusting me with your words. To my chair, Dr. Sue Motulsky, thank you for your patient guidance, encouragement, and wisdom. I could not have done this without you. To my committee members, Dr. Diana Direiter and Dr. Jo Ann Gammel. Thank you for being patient with me as I worked on this study. Your positivity and reassurance helped me to not give up. To Stephen, Connor, and Owen. I love you more than you’ll ever know! I so appreciate all that each of you gave up so that I could pursue this goal. Thank you for being with me on this journey. WOMEN'S LIVED EXPERIENCES v ABSTRACT This dissertation sought to explore the ways in which adult women make meaning of experiences of benevolent sexism in their everyday lives. By highlighting the meaning- making process of women who have experienced benevolent sexism, this research provides an important perspective on what it is like to experience gender-based oppression. Understanding that covert forms of sexism have implications for women’s well-being is an essential aspect of social-justice oriented mental health counseling. This phenomenological study focused on the perspectives of twelve adult women who have experienced benevolent sexism. Data were collected through semi-structured individual interviews. Line by line data analysis of the findings revealed three major categories related to the lived experience of benevolent sexism: coping responses, gender comparison, and affective experiences. Synthesis of these results indicated that power is a key aspect of the lived experience of benevolent sexism; therefore, it is experienced as a threat to psychological safety. This was reflected in participants’ use of vigilance as a coping response as well as associated affective responses indicative of feelings of vulnerability. Intersectionality, power comparison, degree of personal choice, and fluctuations in response over time were perspectives of meaning making that participants used to wrestle with power dynamics. Binary thinking and relationality were the two final aspects of the lived experience to emerge from the data. This study provides recommendations for mental health counselors that address power, perspectives of meaning making, binary thinking, and relationality when working with women. WOMEN'S LIVED EXPERIENCES vi Table of Contents 1. INTRODUCTION……………………………………………………………...………1 Context and Reflexivity………………………………………………………………...3 Research Purpose and Goals.…………………………………………………………...4 Research Question.……………………………………………………………………..5 Conceptual and Theoretical Frameworks………………………………………………5 Existing Research……………………………………………………………………….6 Definition of Key Terms………………………………………………………………..7 Research Design………………………………………………………………………...8 Conclusion………………………………………………………………………….......8 2. REVIEW OF LITERATURE………………………………………………………....10 Ambivalent Sexism Theory…………………………………………………………...11 Development of Ambivalent Sexism Theory………………................................11 Ambivalent Sexism Theory Explained………………………………….……… 12 Critique of Ambivalent Sexism Theory………………………………….………16 Benevolent Sexism……………………………………………………………………17 Protective Paternalism……...……………………………………………………18 Complementary Gender Differentiation……………………………...………… 19 Heterosexual Intimacy……….………………………………………………..…19 Benevolent Sexism Research…….………………………………………………20 Women’s Lived Experience…………………………………………………………...32 Internalized Oppression………………………………………………………….33 Internalized Sexism………………………………………………………………35 Gender………………………………………………………………………………...39 Gender and Psychology………………………………………………………….39 Feminist Epistemology and Social Justice……………………………………………43 Feminism and Psychology……………………………………………………….43 Feminism in Research……………………………………………………………45 Conclusion………………………………………………………………………….…48 WOMEN'S LIVED EXPERIENCES vii 3. METHODOLOGY……………………………………………………………………51 Qualitative Research Design………………………………………………………….51 Phenomenological Approach……………………………………………...……..52 Epistemology…………………………………………………………………….54 Role of the Researcher…………………………………………………………...57 Method……………………………………………………………………………...…59 Sampling Method and Recruitment……………………………………………...59 Participants………………………………………………………….……………61 Data Collection………………………………………………………….....….…64 Data Analysis……………………………………………………………….……66 Validity…………………………………………………………………………..68 Ethics……………………………………………………………………………..72 Conclusion………............................................................................................….73 4. FINDINGS…….............................................................................................................74 Overview of Analysis and Themes……………...........................................................74 Coping Responses……….............................................................................................78 Rationalizing..........................................................................................................78 Relational Coping..................................................................................................83 Vigilance................................................................................................................89 Gender Comparison.......................................................................................................91 Gender Trait Disparity............................................................................................93 Implicit Messages..................................................................................................99 Role Expectation: The Caregiver........................................................................103 Affective Experiences.................................................................................................107 Uncertainty...........................................................................................................107 Lack of Confidence..............................................................................................109 Additional Negative Emotions.............................................................................109 Chapter Summary........................................................................................................113 5. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION……………………………………………….116 Summary and Discussion of Findings.........................................................................116 WOMEN'S LIVED EXPERIENCES viii Synthesis of Findings..................................................................................................117 Power...................................................................................................................118 Perspectives of Meaning-Making........................................................................121 Binary Thinking...................................................................................................129 Relationality.........................................................................................................135 Summary of Discussion...............................................................................................142 Counseling Implications..............................................................................................143 Development of Critical Consciousness..............................................................144 Exploring Context and Its Relationship to Power................................................145 Binary Thinking...................................................................................................148