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Panel information
Panel 19. Sex, Gender

Abstract

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Ambivalent sexism refers to a combination of both hostile sexism (antipathy toward nontraditional women and men) and benevolent sexism (seemingly favorable yet demeaning beliefs about gender role-conforming women and men; Glick & Fiske, 1996), which can negatively affect individuals’ relationships, health, and task performance (Dardenne, Dumont, & Bollier, 2007). While ample research exists on ambivalent sexism among adults, adolescents remain understudied (Leaper & Gutierrez, 2024). However, more egalitarian gender role attitudes are related to better subjective health and life satisfaction among Chinese youth (Gui, 2019). Conversely, individuals who endorse sexist attitudes tend to experience negative emotions, decreased self-esteem, and task performance difficulties (Eagly & Wood, 2012). This suggests that ambivalent sexism might be positively associated with youth anxiety, perceived stress, and academic burnout, and be negatively associated with self-esteem.
Study 1 surveyed 249 rural middle school students (Mage = 13.40, SD = 0.90, 55% female) in central China, examining the roles of anxiety and self-esteem in the relationship between ambivalent sexism and perceived stress. The Chinese versions of ambivalent sexism scales include hostile sexism toward women (e.g., “women are too easily offended”), benevolent sexism toward women (e.g., “women should be cherished and protected by men”), hostile sexism toward men (e.g., “men usually try to dominate conversations when talking to women”), and benevolent sexism toward men (e.g., “men are less likely to fall apart in emergencies than women are”; Xu, 2008; Su & Jiang, 2019). Results of 2 x 2 ANOVAs showed that male adolescents exhibited higher ambivalent sexism and self-esteem, while females exhibited higher anxiety and perceived stress. Junior students exhibited higher ambivalent sexism, while senior students exhibited higher perceived stress (all ps < .04). Controlling for age, sex, and grade, chain-mediated path analysis showed that anxiety mediated the association between ambivalent sexism and perceived stress, and anxiety and self-esteem played chain-mediating roles (Fig. 1).
To generalize our findings to other rural regions, Study 2 assessed 569 rural middle school students (Mage = 15.50, SD = 1.78, 70% female) in southwest China to explore the relationships between ambivalent sexism, anxiety, self-esteem, perceived stress and academic burnout. Results were consistent with Study 1. Males reported higher ambivalent sexism and self-esteem, while females reported higher anxiety, perceived stress, and academic burnout. Junior students reported higher self-esteem, while senior students reported higher anxiety, perceived stress and academic burnout (all ps < .009). Controlling for age, sex, and grade, chain-mediated path analysis showed that anxiety acted as an independent mediator between ambivalent sexism and academic burnout. Furthermore, a chain-mediated indirect effect was identified, with anxiety and perceived stress jointly mediating the relationship between ambivalent sexism and academic burnout. A further chain encompassing anxiety, self-esteem, and perceived stress was observed (Fig. 2).
These findings highlight the importance of ambivalent sexism for predicting rural Chinese adolescents' mental health and academic performance. More comprehensive sexuality education programs should be implemented to explicitly address ambivalent sexism, particularly among males. Additionally, female adolescents in rural China require more support to address their poorer mental health and academic performance.

Author information

Author	Role
Leyi Zhuang, Department of Educational Psychology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong	Presenting author
Xiaoru Li, Department of Psychology, Fudan University	Non-presenting author
Skyler Hawk, Department of Educational Psychology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong	Non-presenting author

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