Women fail to spot heightened infidelity risk in benevolently sexist men, study finds

A recent study published in The Journal of Sex Research reveals that both hostile sexism — blatantly negative attitudes toward women — and benevolent sexism — seemingly chivalrous but ultimately patronizing views — are significant predictors of infidelity among men. The research also indicates that women often fail to recognize that men who exhibit benevolent sexism are just as likely to be unfaithful as those with hostile sexist attitudes.

Infidelity is a common issue, with studies showing that approximately 21% of men and 13% of women in the United States have engaged in infidelity at some point in their lives. The consequences of infidelity are significant, often leading to emotional distress, decreased self-esteem, trust issues, and in many cases, the dissolution of the relationship.

Previous research has identified a range of factors that can contribute to unfaithfulness, including insecure attachment styles, permissive sexual attitudes, and relationship dissatisfaction. However, the potential influence of sexist attitudes — both hostile and benevolent sexism — on infidelity had not been thoroughly investigated.

Hostile sexism refers to overtly negative attitudes and beliefs about women, characterized by resentment, mistrust, and a desire to maintain male dominance. It manifests in behaviors and statements that openly denigrate or seek to control women, often punishing those who defy traditional gender roles.

On the other hand, benevolent sexism is a more subtle form of sexism that can appear positive or protective. Benevolent sexism involves attitudes that idealize women as needing protection, care, and provision from men, reinforcing traditional gender roles by portraying women as delicate and dependent. It rewards traits that align with passivity and submission.

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To explore whether men’s sexist attitudes were associated with a higher likelihood of infidelity, the researchers recruited 379 American men who had experience in romantic relationships. The participants were asked to complete an online survey that assessed their levels of hostile and benevolent sexism using the Ambivalent Sexism Inventory, a well-established tool for measuring sexist beliefs.

In addition to measuring sexist attitudes, the survey also assessed participants’ intentions toward infidelity using the Intention Toward Infidelity Scale. This scale asked participants how likely they would be to cheat on their partner if they knew they wouldn’t get caught, among other questions.

Participants were also asked about their actual past infidelity behavior, as well as their experience with being cheated on by a partner. The study controlled for factors such as social desirability, to account for the possibility that participants might try to present themselves in a better light than is true.

The findings revealed that both hostile sexism and benevolent sexism were significant predictors of infidelity. Men who scored higher on these sexism scales were more likely to have cheated on their partner in the past and were more likely to express intentions to cheat in the future. This initial study provided evidence that men’s sexist attitudes are linked to infidelity, challenging the assumption that benevolent sexism, because it appears positive, would not be associated with such harmful behavior.

“Our study advances existing knowledge by showing that gender ideology regarding more generalized intergender relationships (i.e., men’s evaluations and stereotypes about women and not necessarily confined to one’s intimate relationship) can also predict infidelity,” the researchers wrote. “To the best of our knowledge, the current research is the first to highlight a unique role of men’s ambivalent sexism in predicting infidelity.”

In a subsequent study, the researchers sought to replicate the findings and explore the mechanisms behind the link between sexist attitudes and infidelity. This time, the sample size was increased to 544 American heterosexual men, again with experience in romantic relationships. The methodology was similar to Study 1, with participants completing the same measures of hostile sexism, benevolent sexism, and intentions and behaviors related to infidelity. However, Study 2 introduced an additional variable: the importance placed on power in intimate relationships.

To measure this, participants responded to items adapted from the Sense of Power Scale, which was modified to assess how much importance they placed on having power over their intimate partner. This allowed the researchers to examine whether the desire for power served as an intermediary between sexist attitudes and infidelity.

The findings confirmed the previous results, showing that both hostile and benevolent sexism were related to infidelity. Importantly, the study also revealed that the importance placed on power in relationships acted as a mediator. Men who endorsed sexist attitudes were more likely to value power in their relationships, and this desire for power, in turn, was linked to a higher likelihood of infidelity.

Next, the researchers sought to better understand how women perceive the link between sexist attitudes and risk of infidelity. Specifically, the researchers wanted to know whether women could accurately gauge the infidelity risk associated with men who exhibit hostile or benevolent sexism.

To test this, 240 American women were recruited to participate in an experimental study. The women were randomly assigned to one of three conditions, each involving a fictional profile of a man named Mark.

In the hostile sexism condition, Mark was described as holding overtly negative attitudes toward women (e.g. “He holds the view that most women use men for their own ends and, when in a relationship, attempt to restrain a man’s independence and exert undue control over his behavior”). In the benevolent sexism condition, Mark was portrayed as having seemingly positive but paternalistic beliefs about women (e.g. “He sees women as being in need of male protection […] He holds the view that it is a man’s obligation to provide financial support and economic security for a woman”). In the control condition, Mark was depicted as having no sexist attitudes.

After reading the profiles, the women were asked to rate how likely they thought Mark was to be unfaithful to a romantic partner. They were also asked to rate how patronizing and controlling they believed Mark would be in a relationship.

Women correctly identified that a man with hostile sexist attitudes was more likely to be unfaithful. However, they did not perceive men with benevolent sexist attitudes as being at a higher risk for infidelity compared to non-sexist men. In fact, women rated the likelihood of infidelity for benevolently sexist men as similar to that of men with no sexist attitudes. This suggests that women may underestimate the infidelity risk posed by men who display benevolent sexism, likely because these attitudes are often mistaken for positive traits like protectiveness and commitment.

“Our findings are consistent with prior work showing that men with benevolent sexism are perceived as willing to commit to their relationships. Thus, women find them attractive even though women also perceive these men as patronizing and undermining,” the researchers wrote.

The study, “Both Hostile and Benevolent Sexism Predict Men’s Infidelity,” was authored by Qianying Huang, Xijing Wang, and Fei Teng.