"It Wasn't Meant for Gays": Lesbian Women's and Gay Men's Reactions to the Ambivalent Sexism Inventory.

Researchers can unintentionally reinforce societal prejudice against minoritized populations through the false assumption that psychological measurements are generalizable across identities. Recently, researchers have posited that gender and sexually diverse (GSD) people could feel excluded or confu...

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Published in:Sex Roles Vol. 90; no. 11; pp. 1585 - 1599
Main Authors: Bravestone, Lee, Hammond, Matthew D., Muise, Amy, Cross, Emily J.
Format: Article
Published: Springer Nature Nov2024
Subjects:
Online Access:View this record in EBSCOhost
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      dt: Nov2024
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      pub: Springer Nature
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        10.1007/s11199-024-01528-4
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        atl: "It Wasn't Meant for Gays": Lesbian Women's and Gay Men's Reactions to the Ambivalent Sexism Inventory.
      aug:
        au:
          Bravestone, Lee
          Hammond, Matthew D.
          Muise, Amy
          Cross, Emily J.
        affil:
          https://ror.org/0040r6f76 Psychology Department, Te Herenga Waka - Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand
          https://ror.org/05fq50484 Psychology Department, York University, Toronto, ON, Canada
      su:
        Sexism
        Scaling (Social sciences)
        Lesbians
        Gay men
        Heteronormativity
      sug:
        subj:
          Sexism
          Scaling (Social sciences)
          Lesbians
          Gay men
          Heteronormativity
      keyword:
        Ambivalent sexism theory
        Queer theory
        Sexual minorities
        Sexual orientation
        Thematic analysis
        Ambivalent sexism theory
        Queer theory
        Sexual minorities
        Sexual orientation
        Thematic analysis
      ab: Researchers can unintentionally reinforce societal prejudice against minoritized populations through the false assumption that psychological measurements are generalizable across identities. Recently, researchers have posited that gender and sexually diverse (GSD) people could feel excluded or confused by the Ambivalent Sexism Inventory (ASI) due to its overtly heteronormative statements like "A man is incomplete without the love of a woman." Yet, the ASI is used for indexing the endorsement of sexism in GSD samples and across diverse populations. An ideal test of these experiences is to directly consult GSD participants for their reactions. In the current study, we report a reflexive thematic analysis of lesbian women and gay men's (N = 744) feedback immediately after completing the ASI. Four themes characterized participants' reactions to the ASI: Exclusion: Heteronormative items erase diverse genders and sexualities, Confusion: Inability to meaningfully respond due to heteronormativity, Hope: Exclusion understood as a necessary sacrifice toward progress, and Distress: Exclusion inflicts distress by reflecting societal prejudice. The themes captured the experience that many participants found heteronormative assumptions salient in the ASI and had varied reactions to the heteronormativity. Our results extend prior research that questions the generalizability of results drawn from the ASI, especially studies including GSD participants. We discuss the implications of the continued use of the ASI and encourage researchers to critically evaluate underlying theories and assumptions to ensure participants can engage with measures as intended.
      pubtype: Academic Journal
      doctype: Article
      src: R
    language: English
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