The Connection between Ambivalent Sexism and Attitudes towards One's Own Body (on the Example of Young Girls from Moscow)

The theory of ambivalent sexism allows us to see that sexism can take two forms: benevolent and hostile, both aimed at maintaining the patriarchal foundations of society and traditional gender roles. The concept of attitude towards one’s own body in this study includes self-objectification, body esteem, and appearance-management behaviors. The purpose of this work was to identify the nature of the relationship between ambivalent sexism and attitude towards one's own body among young women from Moscow. Despite the interest of Russian researchers in ambivalent sexism and the development of gender studies, most works focus on career aspects, leaving issues of attitude towards the body without due attention. In previous studies on the connection of ambivalent sexism with the aforementioned sub-components of attitudes towards the body, ambiguous conclusions were obtained, indicating the need for further study of this issue. To achieve the purpose of the study, an online survey was conducted from March 27 to May 2, 2024, in which 236 young girls (18-25 years old) from Moscow participated. Structural equations were chosen as the key method of data analysis. We found that only hostile and ambivalent sexism are positively associated with self-objectification. Hostile sexism and ambivalent sexism significantly affect engagement in appearance-management behavior. Body esteem is not affected by any type of sexism. These findings highlight the negative effects of hostile and ambivalent sexism, which reinforce women's self-objectification and desire for appearance changes, while benevolent sexism has no meaningful impact. The scientific significance of this study lies in deepening the understanding of the relationship between ambivalent sexism, its two types, and the attitude towards the body of young women in the Russian socio-cultural context. The practical value of the work lies in improving the psychological well-being of women through programs to increase self-esteem and body perception, as well as in combating sexism.