This study aimed at knowing the extent to which the human values and ambivalent sexism correlated with each other and with both sexism dimensions: hostile and benevolent. A sample of 301 individuals deriving from different social classes of João Pessoa took part in the present study. Their ages ranged from 18 to 72 years old (m=29.5; sd=11.58). The sample was composed mostly of women (54.2%), catholic (56.8%), single (53.2%) and university graduates (53.5%). They answered the Ambivalent Sexism Inventory, the Basic Values Questionnaire and a set of demographic questions. The results can be abridged as follows: 1) Both sexism dimensions (hostile and benevolent) correlated with each other; 2) men showed higher scores in hostile sexism than women, although no difference between them was found on benevolent sexism scores; 3) participants deriving from lower social classes, with a specific religion (Catholic and Protestant) and less time of study presented higher sexism scores; and 4) those who scored high on normative values (obedience and religiosity) also presented a high score on ambivalent sexism, while the participants with high scores on suprapersonal values (beauty and knowledge) scored lower on this kind of prejudice. These results corroborate the idea that conservative thoughts, beliefs and behavior tend to promote ambivalent sexism. Otherwise, self-directed people who are oriented to universalism and are not attached to specific principles tend to be less sexists.
Hostil sexism; benevolent sexism; human values
