Makayla Sharpe, & Dr. Lindsey Trimble O’Connor
Toxic masculinity – the desire to dominate and compete with others in an aggressive manner to prove one’s manhood, as well as upholding sexist views – can lead to many consequences, such as sexual assault, harassment, and violence against women. People who adhere to this mindset believe that gender roles are natural and that men are overall superior to women. Hostile attitudes towards women fall under the umbrella of toxic masculinity. Studying these types of attitudes towards women is important, as it can help us to understand what behaviors lead up to sexual assault within relationships. In order to study this, I used the question: What is the relationship between hostile attitudes towards women and the likelihood of committing dating violence within a relationship? My hypothesis for this question was: When men’s hostile attitudes towards women are high, the likelihood of committing dating violence against their female partners will increase. The method I used for this study was secondary data analysis. I used the data set, International Dating Violence Study, conducted from 2001-2006. The sample for this study was 32 nations, but I restricted the sample to just American men. I estimated a t-test, and found that men who have hostile attitudes towards women are more likely to physically abuse their partners than men who do not hold these attitudes, supporting my hypothesis. This conclusion shows us that physical abuse towards women is linked to attitudes towards women in men. In understanding this, we can begin implementing plans to tackle the issue; such as providing young men with proper education about masculinity and how to respect women. In doing this, we can work towards stopping toxic attitudes towards women, thus putting a stop to violence towards women in relationships.