The Effects of Patriarchal Beliefs and Internalised Misogyny on Women’s Self-Esteem: A Correlational Study

This research explores the relationship between patriarchal beliefs, internalised misogyny, and self-esteem levels among women, with special focus on the sociocultural context in which such patriarchal thinking is shaped. Patriarchal thinking and attitudes have been embedded in the social fabric and our daily practices, and women tend to internalise such thinking in the form of misogynistic beliefs about themselves and others. A correlational research design was used to examine these relationships. A sample of 114 women between the ages of 18 and 50 years was used. Psychological instruments such as the Patriarchal Beliefs Scale (PBS), Internalised Misogyny Scale (IMS), and Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES) were used to collect data. Descriptive and Pearson’s correlation tests were conducted to examine the relationship between variables. The study found that both patriarchal beliefs and internalised misogyny were found to have a negative correlation with a woman's self-esteem level. This implied that the higher a woman's level of patriarchal beliefs and internalised misogynistic attitudes was, the lower her self-esteem was expected to be. Moreover, a strong positive correlation existed between patriarchal beliefs and internalised misogyny. This showed that the more a woman believed in patriarchal attitudes, the higher her level of internalised misogynistic beliefs was expected to be. Thus, the study indicated the significant role played by social and cultural belief systems in shaping the self-concepts of women as a whole.