Higher levels of benevolent sexism among both mothers and fathers before the pandemic were associated with lower psychological distress and parenting strain during the 2020 lockdown. However, by the second lockdown in 2021, the protective effects remained significant only for fathers.
Benevolent sexism as a buffer against parenting stress during COVID-19 lockdowns
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I’ve linked to the news release in the post above. In this comment, for those interested, here’s the link to the peer reviewed journal article:
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11199-024-01472-3
From the linked article:
A study published in Sex Roles found that parents with higher levels of benevolent sexism before the COVID-19 pandemic experienced lower parenting strain and psychological distress during subsequent lockdowns.
Benevolent sexism, which idealizes women as nurturing caregivers and men as competent providers, reinforces traditional gender roles by offering wellbeing benefits to those who adhere to these stereotypes. However, its impact on parenting outcomes, especially during crises, is not well established.
Waddell and colleagues found that higher levels of benevolent sexism among both mothers and fathers before the pandemic were associated with lower psychological distress and parenting strain during the 2020 lockdown. These effects were present for both parents, suggesting that benevolent sexism may provide a protective function by promoting a sense of order and purpose within traditional family roles. The protective benefits appeared to be mediated by reduced parenting strain; parents who endorsed benevolent sexism reported less stress and emotional burnout related to parenting duties during the lockdown.
However, by the second lockdown in 2021, the protective effects of benevolent sexism remained significant only for fathers and not for mothers. This difference suggests that while benevolent sexism may provide short-term benefits in terms of reduced strain and distress, these benefits are more stable and enduring for men.
I’d be interested to see how parenting duties were split among these couples and whether higher levels of benevolent sexism also predicts a male breadwinner/female caregiver.
It would stand to reason that households that were already organized this way would have been under less strain during the initial lockdown when lot of parents were struggling to manage working from home with childcare and many women reported that they were taking up the bulk of the slack, even if it meant underperforming at work.