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The enjoyment of sexist humor, rape attitudes, and relationship aggression in college students

Sex Roles: A Journal of Research, May, 1998 by Kathryn Ryan, Jeanne Kanjorski

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Moreover, there appeared to be a stronger relationship between enjoyment of the jokes and their rated acceptability, inoffensiveness, and the likelihood of telling the joke for women than for men. Thus, women may be more attuned than men to the hostile nature of the jokes and the effect this hostility may have on an intended audience. In addition, women found the jokes to be less acceptable and more offensive than men, but they were not significantly less likely to say they would tell these jokes. This supports Johnson's (1991) finding that women told as many aggressive and sexual jokes as men. However, it should be noted that this effect is due more to men's expressed unwillingness to tell these jokes (between somewhat unlikely (2) and neutral (3) on the scale) than it is to women's expressed willingness to tell these jokes (see Table II). Thus, although men and women were both somewhat unlikely to tell these jokes, men found them to be a bit more acceptable and a bit less offensive than women.

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To paraphrase Richlin (1992), cultures where women and their sexuality are a joke may be cultures that foster rape. The current study showed a significant relationship between the enjoyment of sexist humor in men and their self-reported likelihood of forcing sex and use of psychological, physical, and sexual aggression against their partners. One avenue for reducing sexual and physical relationship violence may be in expressing intolerance for sexist humor and rape-supportive beliefs. This may be difficult, but it also may be effective. Young and Frye (1966) found that men's laughter and their appreciation of hostile and sexual jokes were reduced by the presence of a visibly embarrassed woman. This suggests some support of Freud's (1905/1960) belief that the audience is important in condoning hostile humor, but extends it to include potential targets of the joke. Future research should explore the role of target/audience response in the enjoyment of sexist humor and whether they influence rape-supportive beliefs and aggression against women.

Table I. Sexist Jokes in the Enjoyment of Sexist Humor Measure(a)

1. Why did the woman cross the road? - Hey!! What's she doing out of the kitchen?

2. Why do girls have three holes? - So you can carry them like a 6-pack.

3. What do sorority girls do first thing in the morning? - Walk home.

4. Three women were granted one wish each by a genie. The first woman said, "l wish I was the smartest woman in the world." And POOF, it came to be. The second woman said, "I wish I was ten times smarter than the smartest woman in the world." And POOF, this too came to be. The third woman said, "I wish I was twenty times smarter than the smartest woman in the world." . . . And POOF, she was a man.

5. What's the difference between a bitch and a whore? - A whore will screw anyone. A bitch will screw anyone but you.

6. Why did Saddam Hussien kill his wife? - He caught her drinking Bush and eating Quail.

7. Superman was flying around one day and he was really horny. "Well," he says, "I know that Wonder Woman is lying out there on the beach." So he flew on down and, sure enough there was Wonder Woman, sprawled out naked on the beach. He took a flying leap and it was WHAM-BAM!!! Wonder Woman sat up and said, What the hell was that?" The Invisible Man said, . . . "I don't know, but he just reamed out my asshole!"

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The enjoyment of sexist humor, rape attitudes, and relationship aggression in college students

Sex Roles: A Journal of Research, May, 1998 by Kathryn Ryan, Jeanne Kanjorski

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