Intergenerational Links Between Parents’ and Children’s Hostile and Benevolent Sexism

Abstract Research has confirmed that adults’ hostile sexism and benevolent sexism harm adult women and men. Yet, men’s and women’s sexist attitudes also shape parenting behavior, and children agree with hostile and benevolent sexism at a young age. Our research connects these emerging insights to test the intergenerational links between parents’ and children’s sexism in 175 family triads: mothers, fathers, and their 8-year-old child (51% girls, 49% boys). Mothers and fathers completed standard measures of hostile and benevolent sexism, and children completed a newly developed task to assess children’s hostile and benevolent gender attitudes. Fathers’ hostile sexism predicted their children’s agreement with hostile gender attitudes, and mothers’ benevolent sexism predicted their children’s benevolent gender attitudes, irrespective of child gender. Additionally, mothers’ hostile sexism predicted their sons’ but not daughters’ hostile gender attitudes. The results remained when including key covariates (e.g., children’s age and theory of mind; parents’ education, employment, and primary caregiver status). These intergenerational links between parents’ and young children’s hostile and benevolent sexism highlight the importance of mothers’ and fathers’ attitudes in the early development of boys’ and girls’ gender attitudes. Policy and education efforts to interrupt gendered prescriptions and outcomes for children must also address intergenerational processes.