For centuries, movies and books have furthered the trope of the damsel in distress who occupies the role of the caregiver and nurturer. Up until Pocahontas came on the scene, Disney princesses across the 20th century were quintessential specimens of such women. No one calls these movies out for being sexist, because the form of sexism used is so subtle. The male behaviour seems appealing and romantic, but actually portrays women as weaker, vulnerable, and in need of protection. This is called Benevolent Sexism.
‘Broadly speaking, there are two kinds of sexism,’ says PoSH trainer AB Prakash Reddy. ‘The first is hostile sexism, where the attitudes are very obviously negative, and disparaging remarks are made. Here women are called out and sometimes punished for violating and bucking gender norms. The second is benevolent sexism, where the attitudes and remarks seem positive, but are actually harmful because of the way women are perceived in the long run. It reiterates gender stereotypes by limiting the role of women. There is also a third kind of sexism called ambivalent sexism. As the name suggests, it is a combination of both hostile and benevolent sexism.’
The theory of benevolent sexism was developed in 1996 by Peter Glick and Susan Fiske, who acknowledged the paradox, but also reiterated that it was important to call out these seemingly positive comments as sexist. Benevolent sexism hinges on the idea that men are in some way responsible for protecting women. It could be something as simple as managing their finances citing the popular but false notion that men have a better head for numbers! It subscribes to the notion of traditional gender roles. Men are seen as providers and women as nurturers, and this attitude often trickles into the workplace as well. Women are often passed up for promotions or overlooked for senior positions – either they’re too good-looking to be taken seriously, or perhaps they have young kids.

A UNDP report states that more than 99 per cent of people in India have at least one bias against women, and more than 86 per cent have at least two! A Pew Research Center survey also found that in a scenario where there are fewer jobs going around, as many as 82 per cent men felt that men should have first dibs on these jobs!
According to Harvard Business Review, a survey of 7,210 men working across 30 countries shows that men are likely to respond to sexist workplace comments with their own brand of benevolent sexism. In other words, they appear supportive of their women co-workers, but the tone and comments are patronising under the guise of being helpful, often undermining the abilities and achievements of these women.
‘Benevolent sexism can harm careers in more ways than one. Instead of beating down women with hostility, you do it with psychology,’ says psychologist Dr Manjula MK. ‘They believe that men have more to offer the workplace, while they have more to offer the home turf. This results in lower academic aspirations and decreased financial independence. The problem is that they don’t consider this behaviour problematic in men. On the contrary, they seem to think it is desirable! At least with hostile sexism, they are conditioned to report it. Here, they consider benevolent perception flattering.’
Through policy changes, senior leadership can change their attitudes towards benevolent sexism, learning first to identify and recognise it, and then call it out in the workplace. Support others who call it out as well, encouraging both men and women to speak up. If you want to address income inequality in the workplace, pointing out benevolent sexism should be a starting point to narrow the gender pay gap. Focus on what women have to offer in terms of work, rather than the paraphernalia such as their families, or the way they dress. If there is a bake sale organised at work, it’s likely that women will be asked to contribute. Similarly, if a corporate holds an employee sports meet, they’re likely to see more participation from men. This can only change if we view every employee in a gender-neutral light.
Even in the startup and entrepreneurial ecosystem, benevolent sexism often rears its ugly head, downplaying their abilities. It is sometimes even suggested that these women get a male partner on board to make processes such as funding easier.
The silver lining is that things are changing, with women becoming smart enough to call out the cliches. Pop culture mirrors this shift as well. The movie ‘Barbie’ was a classic example of reverse benevolent sexism, with Barbie projecting the same patriarchal behaviours towards Ken, as men continue to perpetrate with women over the years. And yes, Merida, Elsa, and Moana have since proved that Disney princesses don’t need rescuing by a man anymore.