Abstract:
This study examined whether women’s endorsement of Benevolent Sexism (BS) shaped reactions to relationship problems, hostility and declines in relationship evaluations. Because women who strongly endorse BS have high and romanticised expectations for their partners and relationships, I proposed that (1) they would experience greater declines in relationship evaluations when faced with relationship problems and partner hostility, and (2) subsequent declines in relationship evaluations would trigger greater perceived relationship problems and hostility toward their partner. I tested these predictions utilising self-reports of relationship problems and relationship satisfaction (Study 1, N=91 heterosexual couples), daily diary reports of relationship problems and relationship evaluations across a 3-week period (Study 1; N=78 heterosexual couples), and daily reports of hostility and relationship evaluations across 10 days (Study 2; N=86 female undergraduates). As predicted, greater endorsement of BS for women, but not men, magnified the negative cross-sectional association between selfreported relationship problems and relationship evaluations (Study 1). Women who strongly endorsed BS also experienced sharper declines in relationship evaluations on days when they faced greater relationship problems (Study 1) and partner hostility (Study 2), as predicted. In addition, when women who strongly endorsed BS experienced declines in daily relationship evaluations they perceived greater relationship problems (Study 1) and behaved with greater hostility toward their partner (Study 2) the following day. These results indicate that women who endorse BS are particularly vulnerable to relationship difficulties, and likely exacerbate such difficulties, when partners and relationships fall short of their expectations.