108 Experiences of benevolent sexism and the well-being of Latinx women: The moderating role of sexist attitudes

Abstract

OBJECTIVES/GOALS: Sexism harms women’s well-being, affecting life satisfaction and self-doubt in complex ways (Shattell etal., 2008; Oswald etal., 2018). This study examines how hostile and benevolent sexist attitudes moderates the link between experiences of benevolent sexism, self-doubt, and life satisfaction in Latinx women. METHODS/STUDY POPULATION: Participants included 57 English-speaking Latinx women residing in the United States, with a mean age of 31.89 (SD=10.14) years. The majority (61.4%, n=35) identified as Mexican, and most identified as second generation or later (80.7%, n=46). Participants completed surveys assessing hostile and benevolent sexist attitudes (Glick & Fiske, 1996), self-doubt (Oleson etal., 2000), life satisfaction (Diener etal., 1985), and experiences with three aspects of benevolent sexism – protective paternalism (PP), heterosexual intimacy (HI), and complimentary gender differentiation (CGD) (Oswald etal., 2018). RESULTS/ANTICIPATED RESULTS: Moderation analyses were conducted to examine the moderating role of hostile and benevolent sexist attitudes between experiences of benevolent sexism (PP, HI, & CGD) and well-being measures (self-doubt and life satisfaction). An example finding revealed a significant interaction effect between benevolent sexist attitudes and experiences with CGD on satisfaction with lifeF(1,53)=8.34,p<.01. For participants who endorsed high benevolent sexist attitudes, experiences with CGD was associated with increased satisfaction with life (b=.78, p<.001), while the effect of experiences with CGD on life satisfaction was attenuated for those who endorsed low benevolent sexist attitudes (b=.30, p<.05). DISCUSSION/SIGNIFICANCE: These findings have important implications on the well-being of Latinx women as they indicate that those who reject sexist attitudes risk their well-being when confronted with benevolent sexism, unlike those who endorse to such beliefs, potentially gaining increased life satisfaction at the cost of embracing benevolent sexist behavior.