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Interconnecting Race and Gender Relations: Racism, Sexism and the Attribution of Sexism to the Racialized Other

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Abstract

This article analyzes the way that attitudes about gender and race relations are interconnected. Based on a survey study conducted in Switzerland with a sample of 273 Swiss nationals (125 men and 148 women), it shows that the attribution of a higher level of sexism to “racialized Others” than to Swiss individuals is a racist process resulting in the justification and naturalization of the ordinary Swiss sexism seen in the gendered division of labor. However, this study also shows that the attribution of a higher level of sexism to the Other can be countered by simultaneously adopting both feminist and non-racist attitudes.

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Acknowledgement

We would like to thank the editor of Sex Roles and two anonymous reviewers for their very helpful comments on previous versions of this article.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Social Sciences, Faculty of Social and Political Sciences, University of Lausanne, Bâtiment Vidy, CH-1015, Lausanne, Switzerland

    Lavinia Gianettoni & Patricia Roux

Authors
  1. Lavinia Gianettoni
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  2. Patricia Roux
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Lavinia Gianettoni.

Appendices

Appendix A

Racism Scale (1= completely disagree to 6 = completely agree)

In your opinion, why have certain immigrants in Switzerland had difficulty integrating themselves?:

  1. 1.

    Their values are too different from predominant Swiss values.

  2. 2.

    They don’t make enough effort to integrate well.

  3. 3.

    They spend too much time amongst themselves, without seeking contact with people from different cultural backgrounds.

  4. 4.

    The cultural traditions of certain countries in the South and the East are poorly compatible with the prevalent lifestyles of most Europeans.

Ordinary Sexism Scale (1= completely disagree to 6 = completely agree)

Numerous sociological studies have shown that it is predominantly women who care for children and households. What are the explanations, as you see it, for this situation?

  1. 1.

    It is because women bear children and give birth to them.

  2. 2.

    It is because women and men have different wishes, tastes, and interests.

  3. 3.

    It is because most men are less talented than women at housekeeping and the tasks related to child-rearing.

  4. 4.

    It is because it is more natural for a woman than for a man to take care of children and a household.

  5. 5.

    It is right that it should be more the role of men than of women to take care of the financial needs of a family.

  6. 6.

    It is right that it should be more the role of women than of men to take care of the household and children.

Feminism Scale (1= no, not at all to 6 = yes, completely)

  1. 1.

    In daily life, do you think you fight, in your own way, against inequalities between men and women?

  2. 2.

    Do you consider yourself a person with feminist convictions?

  3. 3.

    Are you ready to engage in feminist causes (for example, in a militant association, or as a participant in protests, etc.)?

Composed Measure (item 2 minus item 1) of Sexism of the Other (1= completely disagree to 6 = completely agree)

  1. 1.

    Sexism is still highly present in Switzerland. In this area we fail to go beyond principle declarations and concretize gender equality.

  2. 2.

    However, sexism is less strong in Switzerland than in other countries, notably the countries of the South (some African and Arab countries, for example).

Family Sexism Scale (1= completely disagree to 6 = completely agree)

In your opinion, if we compare this type of family to others, can we say that:

  1. 1.

    In this type of family, women are less emancipated than others

  2. 2.

    Men are more dominant and exert more control over “their” women (wife, daughters…) than other men.

  3. 3.

    Arranged or forced marriages are more common.

  4. 4.

    In this type of family, parents inculcate values into their children that are maladapted to those necessary to integrate well into the adult world.

Appendix B: Original French Scales

Echelle de racisme (1= pas du tout d’accord, 6 = tout à fait d’accord)

A votre avis, pour quelles raisons certaines personnes immigrées en Suisse ont-elles des difficultés à s’intégrer ?

  1. 1.

    Leurs valeurs sont trop différentes des valeurs dominantes en Suisse

  2. 2.

    Elles ne font pas assez d’efforts pour bien s’intégrer

  3. 3.

    Elles restent trop souvent entre elles, sans chercher le contact avec des personnes d’origine autre que la leur

  4. 4.

    Les traditions culturelles de certains pays du Sud et de l’Est sont difficilement compatibles avec le mode de vie qu’ont généralement les gens en Europe

Echelle de sexisme ordinaire (1= pas du tout d’accord, 6 = tout à fait d’accord)

Nombre d’enquêtes sociologiques mettent en évidence que ce sont surtout les femmes qui prennent en charge les enfants et le ménage. Quelles sont les raisons qui, selon vous, expliquent cette situation?

  1. 1.

    C’est parce que ce sont les femmes qui portent les enfants et les mettent au monde

  2. 2.

    C’est parce que les femmes et les hommes ont des envies, des goûts et des intérêts différents

  3. 3.

    C’est parce que la plupart des hommes sont moins doués que les femmes pour le ménage et les tâches liées aux enfants

  4. 4.

    C’est parce qu’il est plus naturel pour une femme que pour un homme de s’occuper des enfants et du ménage

  5. 5.

    Il est juste que ce soit plus le rôle des hommes que des femmes d’entretenir financièrement une famille

  6. 6.

    Il est juste que ce soit plus le rôle des femmes que des hommes de s’occuper du ménage et des enfants ».

Echelle de féminisme (1= non, pas du tout, 6 = oui, tout à fait)

  1. 1.

    Dans la vie quotidienne, estimez-vous que vous luttez, à votre manière, contre les inégalités entre hommes et femmes ?

  2. 2.

    Vous considérez-vous comme une personne qui a des convictions féministes ?

  3. 3.

    Etes-vous prêt⋅e à vous engager pour des causes féministes (par exemple dans une association militante, ou en participant à des manifestations, etc.)?

Mesure composée (item 2 moins item 1) de sexisme de l’Autre (1= pas du tout d’accord, 6 = tout à fait d’accord)

  1. 1.

    Le sexime en Suisse est toujours très présent. Dans ce domaine on a de la peine à dépasser les declarations de principe et à concrétiser l’égalité homes-femmes.

  2. 2.

    Toutefois, le sexisme est moins fort en Suisse que dans d’autres pays, du Sud notamment (certains pays africains et arabes par exemple).

Echelle du sexisme de la famille (1= pas du tout d’accord, 6 = tout à fait d’accord)

Si l’on compare ce type de famille à d’autres, peut-on dire, selon vous, que:

  1. 1.

    Dans ce type de famille, les femmes sont moins émancipées que les autres

  2. 2.

    Les hommes sont plus dominants et contrôlent davantage “leurs” femmes (épouse, filles...) que les autres hommes

  3. 3.

    Les mariages arrangés ou forcés sont plus courants

  4. 4.

    Dans ce type de famille, les parents inculquent à leurs enfants des valeurs mal adaptées à celles qui sont nécessaires pour bien s’intégrer dans le monde adulte

Appendix C: Vignettes

African Family Version

A child protection service in French-speaking Switzerland must manage the following case regarding an African family:

Fatou N. comes from a Muslim family with no previous history that has been living in Switzerland for 8 years. Without her parents’ knowledge, Fatou had a fling with Ndongo, a 22-year-old man. Following a one-time sexual tryst with him, she finds herself pregnant, and must then tell her parents. They decide that she must marry the young man in question, although she has no wish whatsoever to do so. She is only 15 years old and cannot imagine spending her life with a man she hardly knows.

Swiss Family Version

A child protection service in French-speaking Switzerland must manage the following case regarding a family from Geneva:

Jeanne N. comes from a relatively wealthy family with no previous history. Without her parents’ knowledge, Jeanne had a fling with Patrick, a 22-year-old man. Following a one-time sexual tryst with him, she finds herself pregnant, and must then tell her parents. They decide that she must marry the young man in question, although she has no wish whatsoever to do so. She is only 15 years old and cannot imagine spending her life with a man she hardly knows.

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Gianettoni, L., Roux, P. Interconnecting Race and Gender Relations: Racism, Sexism and the Attribution of Sexism to the Racialized Other. Sex Roles 62, 374–386 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11199-010-9755-9

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