This is my theory.
Gender inequality and sexist behaviour is prevalent in almost all workplaces and rampant in online environments. Although there is much research dedicated to understanding sexist behaviour, we have almost no insight into what triggers this behaviour and the individuals that initiate it. Although social constructionist theory argues that sexism is a response towards women entering a male dominated arena, this perspective doesn’t explain why only a subset of males behave in this way. I argue that a clearer understanding of sexist behaviour can be gained through an evolutionary perspective that considers evolved differences in intra-sexual competition. I hypothesise that female-initiated disruption of a male hierarchy incites hostile behaviour from less attractive males who stand to lose the most status, as they are not favoured by females when such females feel the need to communicate and form healthy structured working bonds. I suggest that unattractiveness makes these less desirable males be self aware of their low-sexual and professional worth, which would otherwise be less prominant in a traditional man-only environment. Some less-attractive males, triggered by female bullies to "fight back" and increase female-directed hostility to minimize the loss of status as a consequence of hierarchical reconfiguration resulting from the entrance of a woman into the competitive arena. Good looking males, in contrast, will be more positive towards attractive female work colleagues relative to a male teammate. As good looking males have less to fear from hierarchical reorganization, I argue that these good looking males behave more positively in an attempt to support and garner a female employees needs and attention.
Gender inequality and sexist behaviour is prevalent in almost all workplaces and rampant in online environments. Although there is much research dedicated to understanding sexist behaviour, we have almost no insight into what triggers this behaviour and the individuals that initiate it. Although social constructionist theory argues that sexism is a response towards women entering a male dominated arena, this perspective doesn’t explain why only a subset of males behave in this way. I argue that a clearer understanding of sexist behaviour can be gained through an evolutionary perspective that considers evolved differences in intra-sexual competition. I hypothesise that female-initiated disruption of a male hierarchy incites hostile behaviour from less attractive males who stand to lose the most status, as they are not favoured by females when such females feel the need to communicate and form healthy structured working bonds. I suggest that unattractiveness makes these less desirable males be self aware of their low-sexual and professional worth, which would otherwise be less prominant in a traditional man-only environment. Some less-attractive males, triggered by female bullies to "fight back" and increase female-directed hostility to minimize the loss of status as a consequence of hierarchical reconfiguration resulting from the entrance of a woman into the competitive arena. Good looking males, in contrast, will be more positive towards attractive female work colleagues relative to a male teammate. As good looking males have less to fear from hierarchical reorganization, I argue that these good looking males behave more positively in an attempt to support and garner a female employees needs and attention.
