Tradwife movement 'attracts men who are hostile to women' [View all]

The strongest predictor of support for women staying at home and deferring to their husband is not, as researchers expected, chivalry but ‘hostile sexism’

https://www.thetimes.com/life-style/sex-relationships/article/tradwife-lifestyle-hostility-women-txmdxkjn6

https://archive.ph/vG17p



A growing online trend encourages women to quit their jobs, run the home and defer to their husbands. This “tradwife” movement urges a return to traditional roles and, when researchers in the US recently set out to examine what kind of men support it, they expected to find a cohort fond of old-fashioned chivalry. The reality, they say, was rather different. Among young American men, the strongest predictor of support for the tradwife lifestyle was not gallantry but hostility towards women.



“We were taken aback,” said Dr Rachael Robnett, a psychologist at the University of Nevada, in Las Vegas, and lead author of the study. Her team had thought that men drawn to the tradwife idea would display what academics call “benevolent sexism” — a belief that men should protect and provide for women. This seemed to them to fit with an ethos where he earns and she cooks and cares for the children.

Instead, statistical tests found that the strongest predictor of male support for tradwife lifestyles was “hostile sexism”. This involves overtly negative beliefs about women, including that they manipulate men, exaggerate discrimination and should not expect equal power. People who are high in hostile sexism may believe women try to manipulate and control men, often through sex.

The study, which was published in Psychology of Women Quarterly, also found that men drawn to tradwife ideals often believed that women were essential to their emotional fulfilment, and that intimacy was something only women can provide. “It suggests that men [who support tradwife lifestyles] rely on women for intimacy and resent that this is the case,” Robnett said.


Hannah Neeleman with her family. Tradwives are often depicted online, surrounded by their children

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