Sexual Objectification in a Culture of Honor

Abstract

The sexual assault of women by men is one of the most important issues facing the modern world. Previous research has identified that women in some regions of the world, home to the norms and beliefs commonly termed a “culture of honor,” experience more sexual assaults and less support in the face of such an experience. This trend indicates that men who endorse the ideology of a culture of honor are more likely to sexually objectify, and potentially assault, women. The purpose of this research is to establish the relationship between honor ideology and sexual objectification, as well as investigate potential mediators of that relationship. Three studies were run examining these variables from self-report data obtained from college (Studies 1 and 2) and Amazon Mechanical Turk (Study 3) samples. Study 1 established that there is a positive relationship between honor ideology and sexual objectification, and that sexual objectification mediates the relationship between honor ideology and attitudes about sexual violence toward women. Studies 2 and 3 explored potential mediators of the link between honor ideology and sexual objectification. Study 2 examined patriarchal beliefs alone as a potential mediator, while Study 3 looked at the relative mediating effects of patriarchal beliefs and concern for reputation in the same model. Study 2 and 3 established that patriarchal beliefs significantly mediates the relationship between honor ideology and sexual objectification, even when the effect of concern for reputation is considered. Study 3 indicated that concern for reputation does not significantly mediate the relationship between honor ideology and sexual objectification when the effect of patriarchal beliefs is considered.