Why Are Men More Homophobic than Women?

Men become homophobic when their masculinity is challenged. Most guys will react by bullying or intimidating the person who did it to them. If you want your son to be safe and happy when he grows up, teach him love and empathy.

Photo by Danie Franco on Unsplash

To quickly self-test for homophobia, check your first reaction to the featured image above.

In a recent study published in the journal “Sex Roles,” scientists found that men tend to be more homophobic than women. Researchers had participants read different articles about homosexuality and then rate their level of agreement with certain statements to test this. They found that when presented with negative information about gay people, male heterosexuals were more likely to have a strong reaction than female heterosexuals. This is not surprising given the cultural context in which we live today, where it seems like so many men are often viewed as being hyper-masculine and dominant over women.

This blog post is about how men hate homosexuality more than women (parenting style plays a role). It also tangentially discusses societal gender roles and their impact on people’s acceptance or lack thereof for homosexuals/LGBTQA+ individuals.