Romantic ideology, though subjectively pro-female, can co-opt women against equity.

Evidence

A cultural worldview that is largely overlooked concerns romance, a putatively positive ideology for women. Traditionally, romance has idealized femininity, placing women “on a pedestal.” However, it may also teach them (e.g., through romantic fairytales) to depend on men for economic and social rewards. In particular, the romantic idealization of men as chivalric rescuers of women (e.g., Prince Charming) might encourage women to seek their fortune indirectly, through men. If so, romantic fantasies might be negatively linked to women’s interest in personal power. Consistent with this hypothesis, Rudman and Heppen (2003) found that even women who were reluctant to explicitly associate male romantic partners with chivalry (e.g., Prince Charming, White Knight, protector, hero) demonstrated this association implicitly (on the IAT). Furthermore, women who possessed implicit romantic beliefs also showed less interest in personal power, across multiple measures. For example, women with high IAT scores expected to make less income in their careers, and had lower educational goals. — , Rudman, Laurie A - On the Nature of…, 771 (#exemplifies, via linked claim)

This is why women do not succeed in building a solid “counter-universe” where they can defy males; they sporadically rant against men in general, they tell stories about the bedroom or childbirth, they exchange horoscopes and beauty secrets. But to truly build this “world of grievances” that their resentment calls for, they lack conviction; their attitude to man is too ambivalent. Indeed, he is a child, a contingent and vulnerable body, an innocent, an unwanted drone, a mean tyrant, an egotist, a vain man: and he is also the liberating hero, the divinity who sets the standards. — Simone de Beauvoir, The Second Sex, 1760 (#complicates, via linked claim)

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Implicit chivalric romantic ideals reduce women’s career and income ambitions — , Rudman, Laurie A - On the Nature of…, 771; Idealizing women can itself breed misogyny through backlash. — bell hooks, Ain’t I a Woman_ Black Women and…, 93; Romantic interdependence makes both sexes invested in preserving gender hierarchy (+6 more)

Broader Connections

• Implicit chivalric romantic ideals reduce women’s career and income ambitions #exemplifies (0.92) — , Rudman, Laurie A - On the Nature of…, 771
• Women’s ambivalence about men prevents them from building a solid counter-universe #complicates (0.74) — Simone de Beauvoir, The Second Sex, 1760