Despite harmful effects of sexism on children, little is known about whether and how parents address it. For the first time, three studies examined parents’ reports of whether they would address sexism with their child if the child were the target of sexist treatment. Study 1 investigated parents’ beliefs about addressing sexism, their strategies, and its predictors. Although parents rated sexism as equally important as other sensitive topics, they were less likely to explain it to children. The belief that sexism should be addressed with children was predicted by egalitarian gender-role beliefs, prior discussions of sexism with one’s own parents, and being a mother rather than a father. Study 2 extended these findings to real-life scenarios using vignettes, examining factors influencing parents’ recognition and responses to sexism. Parents were more likely to recognise sexism when presented explicitly than ambiguously, and when targets were girls compared to boys. However, recognition did not increase willingness to discuss it. Parents generally avoided sexism, focusing instead on the child’s reaction. Study 3 tested whether children’s reactions influenced parents’ willingness to discuss sexism. Parents were more willing to talk when the child was upset. Recognition did not increase willingness to discuss when the child was indifferent. We consider these findings and how models of addressing bias can be extended to reflect parent–child dynamics.
From 2022, all European Union (EU) member states were required to implement a reform to their parental leave systems to increase fathers’ access to and uptake of parental leave. We examined the impact of this reform on families in Denmark, where the leave reserved exclusively for fathers increased from two to eleven weeks. We recruited families with children born before and after the reform and measured fathers' and mothers' anxiety, parenting confidence, and co-parenting relationship quality at two time points. We used Bayesian difference-in-difference models to investigate the effects of the reform on these outcomes, and on the interrelationships between them. None of our difference-in-difference models showed statistically credible effects of the reform. Fathers from both reform groups showed increased parenting confidence over time, but only mothers in the post-reform group showed the same increase. In the post-reform group, fathers showed a decrease in reported co-parenting quality, and mothers showed an increasing correlation between their parenting confidence and reported co-parenting quality. Our sample was relatively healthy and advantaged, and fathers in the pre-reform group were already taking substantial amounts of leave, which may have limited our ability to detect policy effects. These findings contribute to the emerging evidence base on the immediate effects of the EU Work-Life Balance Directive as implemented in one member state.
Many Black women embody strength and self-determination to navigate intersectional stressors, and this notion of strength is known as the Superwoman Schema (SWS)/Strong Black Woman schema. Despite extensive research on SWS, the potential variations in SWS related to sexual orientation remain unexplored. Utilizing data from 235 young adult (18–28 years old) Black women attending a Historically Black College (HBCU), we conducted hierarchical regression analyses to examine the associations between SWS dimensions ( e.g., obligation to suppress emotions, resistance to being vulnerable) and depressive symptoms as well as to investigate if sexual orientation moderated the association between these variables. Findings revealed significant positive associations between several SWS dimensions and depressive symptoms. Additionally, overall endorsement of SWS was significantly associated with increased depressive symptoms. Although no significant interaction effects were detected, sexual minority Black women exhibited greater depressive symptoms and higher levels of some SWS dimensions (e.g., resistance to vulnerability) compared to their heterosexual peers. These findings underscore the pervasive impact of SWS on Black women’s health and the need for intersectional approaches in mental health interventions to best support Black sexual minority women.
In the current climate, where far-right ideologies are increasingly prevalent among men, it is equally important to examine the experiences of those who oppose these ideologies. One way to do so is to examine any consequences they face for endorsing the feminist label. This study investigated how the feminist label influenced perceptions of men’s masculinity, with a focus on the racialized impact of identifying as a feminist. We asked US and Canadian East Asian, Black, and white men (perceivers, N = 1,642) to assess the masculinity of other East Asian, Black, and white men (targets), who identified as feminist or not. We conducted a 2 (target’s feminist label) × 3 (target’s race/ethnicity) × 3 (perceiver’s race/ethnicity) MANCOVA, with masculinity ratings (competence, heteronormativity, dominance, and risk) as outcome variables. The results showed that race/ethnicity of both targets and perceivers, as well as the targets’ feminist label, impacted masculinity ratings. Further, the effect of the feminist label varied by targets’ and perceivers’ race/ethnicity, with distinct patterns emerging across four masculinity domains. This demonstrates that masculinity—and the consequences of identifying as a feminist—cannot be understood as a singular phenomenon. By examining the potential costs of the feminist label for both majoritized and minoritized men, this study challenges the white-centred framing of masculinity and feminism and highlights the experiences of feminist men of colour. We hope this research contributes to a more nuanced and inclusive understanding of masculinity and feminism, ultimately broadening the feminist movement and its influence.
Men’s decision to remain childfree is shaped by a combination of personal, relational, and societal factors and often evokes social disapproval. This disapproval reflects traditional norms of masculinity in Türkiye, where fatherhood is regarded as a central marker of male identity. This qualitative study explored how men understand and experience being voluntarily childfree within this sociocultural context. Ten men aged 26–43, all of whom had chosen not to have children, participated in semi-structured, in-depth interviews. Using interpretative phenomenological analysis, four main themes emerged: (1) fatherhood as an ethical/identity risk, (2) living childfree: freedom, economy, and future uncertainty, (3) negotiating pronatalist expectations, and (4) imagining fatherhood through the father. Participants described their choice as influenced by feelings of inadequacy, lack of support, and perceptions of the world as an unsafe or unfavorable place for raising children. While childfree choice was associated with material comfort and personal freedom, men also anticipated potential future loneliness. Their own father–child experiences, whether characterized by authoritarian or caring relationships, significantly shaped these choices. These findings highlight how men”s reproductive decisions are embedded in cultural expectations of masculinity. The study”s contribution is to identify an emergent ethical masculinity, in which men ground their claim to manhood in accountability for the consequences of their actions. The concept extends work on caring masculinities to men whose moral claim rests on declining a caregiving role rather than taking one up.
