Abstract

Humor is often a controversial genre of entertainment. It is not critically examined due to its intentionally offensive nature. This study examines the impact of sexist humor on the perception of women. Students (n = 1,096) from a 4 year university were divided into two groups and both participated in a questionnaire examining attitudes toward women and media viewing habits. One group was exposed to clips of sexist humor from television shows and the other was not. A series of analyses of variance (ANOVA) conducted on the two groups did not find significant differences between those who had viewed sexist clips and those who did not. However, linear regressions found media viewing habits and preferences were significant predictors for five out of eight factors of sexism: dependency/deference, purity, caretaking, benevolent sexism, and hostile sexism. The factors not found to be significant were modern sexism, stereotypical images/activities, and emotionality. Overall, the results indicate long-term exposure to sexist humor is correlated with higher levels of sexism. These findings support the need for more critical analysis of sexist humor.

Notes

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Thesis Completion

2015

Semester

Spring

Advisor

Wright, Chrysalis

Degree

Bachelor of Science (B.S.)

College

College of Sciences

Department

Psychology

Subjects

Dissertations, Academic -- Sciences; Sciences -- Dissertations, Academic

Location

UCF South Lake

Format

PDF

Identifier

CFH0004731

Language

English

Access Status

Open Access

Length of Campus-only Access

None

Document Type

Honors in the Major Thesis

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Included in

Psychology Commons

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