Broad concepts of sexism predict polarized moral judgments of victims and perpetrators

Abstract

Research on concept creep suggests that the expansiveness of people's concepts of harm has implications for their moral judgments. The present study assessed the breadth of 201 American participants' concepts of sexual harassment and gender discrimination, examined predictors of the breadth of these concepts, and tested relationships between concept breadth and moral judgments of a female victim and male perpetrators in a workplace sexism scenario. The breadth of participants' sexism-related concepts was most strongly predicted by their endorsement of harm-based morality and was the strongest predictor of the perceived moral deservingness of the victim and moral responsibility of the perpetr..