As the gender pay gap proves that sexism continues to thrive in the workplace, a new study published in the Journal of Counseling Psychology shows that mentally, sexist attitudes could have health ramifications.
In analyzing 78 studies of nearly 19,500 predominantly white male participants, researchers concluded that men who have “playboy” attitudes, believe in power over women and conform to self-reliance (i.e. men who won’t ask for directions when they’re lost) are at higher risk of developing a multitude of mental health issues, including loneliness, anger, depression, stress, body image problems and difficulty socializing with others.
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Additionally, these same men were less likely to seek help for their mental health problems.
“The masculine norms of playboy and power over women are the norms most closely associated with sexist attitudes,” lead author of the study Y. Joel Wong, Ph.D., of Indiana University Bloomington, said in a statement. “The robust association between conformity to these two norms and negative mental health-related outcomes underscores the idea that sexism is not merely a social injustice, but may also have a detrimental effect on the mental health of those who embrace such attitudes.”
The study examined research samples that were divided into 11 categories typically associated with “traditional masculinity.” The categories included: desire to win, need for emotional control, risk-taking, violence, dominance, playboy (or sexual promiscuity), self-reliance, primacy of work, power over women, disdain for homosexuality and pursuit of status.
Interestingly, the one category where no negative effects were determined was primacy of work.
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“Perhaps this is a reflection of the complexity of work and its implications for well-being,” Wong said. “An excessive focus on work can be harmful to one’s health and interpersonal relationships, but work is also a source of meaning for many individuals.”
While it’s unclear exactly how these masculine norms play a part in negative mental health, Wong did offer a theory.
“It could be that these norms are increasingly being rejected and thought of as outdated, which means some men might get pushback by people who are uncomfortable with these norms,” he told U.S. News & World Report. “For example, if you were maybe sexually promiscuous in the past, your partner might have just tolerated that. But today you might get pushback.”
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