Men Overestimate Women's Objectification Rates, Study Finds
New research reveals men estimate young women experience sexual objectification more frequently than women themselves report, challenging assumptions about
Men estimate that young women experience sexual objectification more often than women report for themselves. This finding, published in the journal Sex Roles by researchers from Rutgers and Northwestern Universities, contradicts the common assumption that men underestimate the everyday harassment women face.
Sexual objectification involves treating a person as a body rather than a whole human. For young women, these experiences are linked to negative outcomes like depression and body shame. They range from overt acts like catcalling to covert actions like being stared at. The researchers, Olivia A. Foster-Gimbel and Renee Engeln, initially predicted men would estimate lower rates, possibly due to a lack of personal experience or a desire to protect their gender group's image.
Testing Competing Predictions
They also considered that the #MeToo movement might have successfully educated men about the pervasiveness of these issues. To test these ideas, they conducted three investigations. In the first study with 110 participants aged 18 to 30, women reported how often they personally experienced objectifying behaviors. Men estimated how often the average young woman experienced them.
The results were surprising. Men estimated that the average woman experienced both overt and covert sexual objectification more frequently than the women reported for themselves. Both groups agreed on how negatively these experiences made women feel.
Ruling Out Scale Misinterpretation
A second study with 199 students aimed to see if men and women interpreted frequency scales differently. Participants gave both verbal ratings and specific numerical estimates. Men again gave higher estimates for the average woman than women gave for themselves. This pattern held for both rating methods.
When participants read about a fictional woman who was catcalled, however, the pattern reversed. Women estimated the character experienced harassment more often than men did. This suggested women might report lower rates for themselves than for other women, a phenomenon known as denial of personal discrimination.
Estimates for the 'Average Woman'
A third study asked 165 students to estimate frequencies for the "average woman" aged 18 to 30. The results varied by behavior type. For overt acts like catcalling, women's verbal frequency ratings were higher than men's, but their numerical estimates were similar.
| Behavior Type | Men's Annual Estimate | Women's Annual Estimate |
|---|---|---|
| Overt (e.g., catcalling) | About 30 times | About 30 times |
| Covert (e.g., leering) | 365 times | 267 times |
For covert behaviors, verbal ratings were similar, but men's numerical count was significantly higher. Written explanations from participants suggested reasons for the discrepancies. Nearly half proposed men's higher estimates might come from awareness of their own or other men's behavior. Others noted women might not always notice covert actions. Some suggested men might deliberately guess higher to avoid seeming insensitive in the current cultural climate.
The study has limitations. It only included participants who identified as men or women, excluding transgender and nonbinary individuals. It also focused solely on perceptions of women aged 18 to 30. Future research could explore estimates for older women or women of different racial backgrounds. The data were collected soon after the peak of the #MeToo movement, and attitudes may shift. The researchers suggest focusing interventions on the negative mental health impacts of objectification may be more effective than debating its exact frequency.
