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A study published in Sex Roles found that parents with higher levels of benevolent sexism before the COVID-19 pandemic experienced lower parenting strain and psychological distress during subsequent lockdowns.
Benevolent sexism, which idealizes women as nurturing caregivers and men as competent providers, reinforces traditional gender roles by offering wellbeing benefits to those who adhere to these stereotypes. However, its impact on parenting outcomes, especially during crises, is not well established.
The pandemic brought heightened stress and setbacks in gender equality, with women disproportionately adopting domestic and caregiving responsibilities. Thus, Nina Waddell and colleagues sought to determine whether pre-pandemic benevolent sexism could protect against parenting strain and psychological distress during the COVID-19 lockdowns.
The study involved 175 heterosexual couples from a pre-pandemic sample who had already completed measures of sexist attitudes and psychological distress. Participants were invited to complete online questionnaires during two COVID-19 lockdowns in New Zealand: the first in March-April 2020 and the second in August-September 2021. Each parent completed assessments measuring their own psychological distress, using the 10-item Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale, and parenting strain, evaluated through a 9-item questionnaire assessing stress, negative emotions, and burnout related to parenting.
The Ambivalent Sexism Inventory was used to measure benevolent sexism before the pandemic, with items such as “a good woman should be set on a pedestal by her man” to gauge attitudes. Hostile sexism was also measured but was not the primary focus. The researchers controlled for pre-pandemic psychological distress to isolate the specific effects of benevolent sexism on parenting strain and psychological distress during lockdowns.
Waddell and colleagues found that higher levels of benevolent sexism among both mothers and fathers before the pandemic were associated with lower psychological distress and parenting strain during the 2020 lockdown. These effects were present for both parents, suggesting that benevolent sexism may provide a protective function by promoting a sense of order and purpose within traditional family roles. The protective benefits appeared to be mediated by reduced parenting strain; parents who endorsed benevolent sexism reported less stress and emotional burnout related to parenting duties during the lockdown.
However, by the second lockdown in 2021, the protective effects of benevolent sexism remained significant only for fathers and not for mothers. This difference suggests that while benevolent sexism may provide short-term benefits in terms of reduced strain and distress, these benefits are more stable and enduring for men.
This study was in the cultural context of New Zealand, which may limit the generalizability of findings.
The research article, “Parents’ Pre-Pandemic Benevolent Sexism Predicted Lower Parenting Strain and Psychological Distress During COVID-19 Lockdowns,” was authored by Nina Waddell, Nickola C. Overall, and Valerie T. Chang.