Sexist Humor in Facebook Profiles: Perceptions of Humor Targeting Women and Men
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Megan Strain
Megan Strain completed her Ph.D. in Psychology at Kansas State University on the understanding and perception of humor that either reinforces or subverts rape culture. She then joined the faculty at the University of Nebraska at Kearney, working with students to further examine the complex nature of humor targeting specific social groups.
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Donald Saucier
Donald Saucier completed his Ph.D. in Experimental (Social) Psychology at the University of Vermont. He is currently an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychological Sciences at Kansas State University. His research focuses on the individual differences and situational factors that contribute to the justification and suppression of antisocial behavior (e.g., prejudice, aggression).
Amanda Martens earned her Master’s degree in Experimental Psychology from Emporia State University. She is currently a Social Psychology PhD student at Kansas State University. Her research interests include gender roles, attributions to sexist individuals, and prosocial behavior.
Abstract
Despite advances in women’s equality, and perhaps as a result of it, sexist humor is prevalent in society. Research on this topic has lacked realism in the way the humor is conveyed to participants, and has not examined perceptions of both men and women who use sexist humor. We embedded jokes in printed Facebook profiles to present sexist humor to participants. We manipulated the gender of the individual in the profile (man or woman), and the type of joke presented (anti-men, anti-women, neutral) in a 2×3 between-groups design. We found that both men and women rated anti-women jokes as more sexist than neutral humor, and women also rated anti-men jokes as sexist. We also found that men who displayed anti-women humor were perceived less positively than men displaying anti-men humor, or women displaying either type of humor. These findings suggest that there may be different gender norms in place for joke tellers regarding who is an acceptable target of sexist humor.
About the authors
Megan Strain completed her Ph.D. in Psychology at Kansas State University on the understanding and perception of humor that either reinforces or subverts rape culture. She then joined the faculty at the University of Nebraska at Kearney, working with students to further examine the complex nature of humor targeting specific social groups.
Donald Saucier completed his Ph.D. in Experimental (Social) Psychology at the University of Vermont. He is currently an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychological Sciences at Kansas State University. His research focuses on the individual differences and situational factors that contribute to the justification and suppression of antisocial behavior (e.g., prejudice, aggression).
Amanda Martens earned her Master’s degree in Experimental Psychology from Emporia State University. She is currently a Social Psychology PhD student at Kansas State University. Her research interests include gender roles, attributions to sexist individuals, and prosocial behavior.
Appendix
Anti-Women jokes
How do you know when a woman is about to say something smart?
She starts her sentence with “A man once told me...”
How is a woman like a laxative?
They both irritate the crap out of you.
Why haven’t there been any women on the moon?
It hasn’t needed cleaning yet.
If the dog is barking at the back door and your girl is yelling at the front door, who do you let in first?
The dog, of course. At least he’ll shut up after you let him in.
Anti-Men jokes
What do you call an intelligent guy in America?
A tourist.
How does a guy show he’s planning for the future?
He buys two cases of beer.
How is a guy like a laxative?
They both irritate the crap out of you.
What’s the best way to force a guy to do sit-ups?
Put the remote control between his feet.
Neutral jokes
Why do gorillas have big nostrils?
Because they have big fingers.
What did the pig say at the beach on a hot summer’s day?
I’m bakin’.
What do you get if you breed a pit bull terrier with Lassie?
A dog that will chew your arm off and then run for help.
Why did pilgrims’ pants always fall down?
Because they wore their belts on their hats.
What do you get if you cross and elephant with a rhino?
el-if-i-no
What do you call a cow during an earthquake?
A milkshake.
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©2015 by De Gruyter Mouton
Artikel in diesem Heft
- Frontmatter
- Understanding the Sequential Resources for Doing Humor in the Language Classroom
- Radical Clowning: Challenging Militarism through Play and Otherness
- Like Watching a Motorway Crash: Exploring the Embarrassment Humor of The Office
- Why All Dictators Have Moustaches: Political Jokes in Contemporary Belarus
- “Some Species of Contrasts”: British Graphic Satire, the French Revolution, and the Humor of Horror
- Sexist Humor in Facebook Profiles: Perceptions of Humor Targeting Women and Men
- Book Reviews
- Jocelyn Chey and Jessica Milner Davis: Humor in Chinese Life and Letters: Classical and Traditional Approaches
- Sam Friedman: Comedy and Distinction; the Cultural Currency of a ‘Good’ Sense of Humour
- Blank, Trevor J: The Last Laugh: Folk Humor, Celebrity Culture, and Mass-Mediated Disasters in the Digital Age
- Dynel Marta: Developments in Linguistic Humour Theory. Topics in Humor Research. Vol. 1
- Acknowledgement of Referees
Artikel in diesem Heft
- Frontmatter
- Understanding the Sequential Resources for Doing Humor in the Language Classroom
- Radical Clowning: Challenging Militarism through Play and Otherness
- Like Watching a Motorway Crash: Exploring the Embarrassment Humor of The Office
- Why All Dictators Have Moustaches: Political Jokes in Contemporary Belarus
- “Some Species of Contrasts”: British Graphic Satire, the French Revolution, and the Humor of Horror
- Sexist Humor in Facebook Profiles: Perceptions of Humor Targeting Women and Men
- Book Reviews
- Jocelyn Chey and Jessica Milner Davis: Humor in Chinese Life and Letters: Classical and Traditional Approaches
- Sam Friedman: Comedy and Distinction; the Cultural Currency of a ‘Good’ Sense of Humour
- Blank, Trevor J: The Last Laugh: Folk Humor, Celebrity Culture, and Mass-Mediated Disasters in the Digital Age
- Dynel Marta: Developments in Linguistic Humour Theory. Topics in Humor Research. Vol. 1
- Acknowledgement of Referees
