Leveraging Man−Woman Romantic Relationships to Promote Men’s Awareness of Sexism and Gender Discrimination

Despite decades of research and growing public awareness, sexism and gender discrimination remain pervasive, partly due to men’s lower awareness of sexism. Here, we explored whether man−woman romantic relationships can be leveraged to promote men’s awareness of sexism. In Study 1 ( N = 576), men who read about gender discrimination targeting their ostensible partner (versus a friend or stranger) were more likely to perspective-take and appraise the situation as sexist, and in turn, reported greater broader awareness of gender discrimination toward women and less sexist attitudes. In Study 2 ( N = 570), 76% of men reported that their partner had disclosed an experience of sexism. Greater perspective-taking was associated with recognizing these experiences as sexist and greater awareness of sexism and allyship behaviors ( n = 432). The findings suggest that man−woman romantic relationships offer a unique context to promote men’s awareness of sexism and gender discrimination, revealing both novel insights and challenges for reducing sexism.