Mentor
Dr. Chrysalis Wright
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 millenials' perception of women. Students (n = 1,096) from a four-year university were divided into two groups and both participated in a survey 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, implying sexism in media may have a smaller impact on college-aged individuals than previous research indicates. 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 no difference between the control and experimental groups regarding immediate exposure to sexist humor, but cumulative exposure was correlated with higher levels of sexism. These findings support the need for more critical analysis of sexist humor, particularly with the millennial demographic.
Recommended Citation
Vashist, Natasha
(2015)
"The Effect of Misogynistic Humor on Millenials' Perception of Women,"
The Pegasus Review: UCF Undergraduate Research Journal: Vol. 8:
Iss.
1, Article 3.
Available at:
https://stars.library.ucf.edu/urj/vol8/iss1/3
