Sexist humor linked to sex discrimination

CULLOWHEE, N.C., Nov. 5 (UPI) -- A U.S. psychology professor says jokes about blondes and women drivers are not harmless fun because exposure to sexist humor can lead to discrimination.

Thomas E. Ford, of Western Carolina University, conducted the research at Western Michigan University with three graduate students. They asked male participants to imagine that they were members of a work group in an organization and in that context, they either read sexist jokes, comparable non-humorous sexist statements, or neutral non-sexist jokes. Then they were asked to report how much money they would be willing to donate to a women’s organization. The men with a high level of sexism were less likely to donate to the women’s organization after reading sexist jokes, but not after reading either sexist statements or neutral jokes, Ford said.

In the second experiment, researchers showed video clips of sexist or non-sexist comedy skits to men and asked them to determine student funding cuts. After being exposed to sexist humor, men higher in sexism cut the women's funding more than the other groups.

The study, scheduled published in Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, said that humorous disparagement creates the perception of a shared standard of tolerance of discrimination that may guide behavior when people believe others feel the same way.