Neoliberalism, Capitalism and Marginalized Women's Experiences of Mistreatment

Abstract

This dissertation focuses on the role of neoliberal beliefs in perceptions of and women’s experiences of gender-based mistreatment. My primary research sought to answer the question: What is the role of neoliberal beliefs in people’s perceptions of and experiences of gender-based mistreatment among women and how are systems of power, privilege, and oppression integral to these perceptions and lived experiences? In Study 1 (N=426), in an online survey of U.S. adults I analyzed the potential role of other social beliefs and participant identity in the endorsement of neoliberal beliefs; and I analyzed the role of neoliberal beliefs in perceptions of women’s experiences of sexual assault, sexual harassment, and gender-based incivility. We found support for our first hypothesis that higher participant endorsement of economic system justification, belief in a just world, racism, sexism, and classism predicted higher neoliberal belief endorsement. For our second hypothesis, we found partial support that some more historically and currently privileged groups endorsed neoliberal beliefs at higher rates (men, politically conservative participants, White conservative participants compared to women, politically Democrat, and White Democrat individuals respectively). There was also an interaction between participant race and social class in neoliberal belief endorsement. Specifically, among White participants as social class increased so did neoliberal belief endorsement but among Black participants as social class increased, neoliberal belief endorsement decreased. Lastly, we found support for our final hypothesis showing higher neoliberal belief endorsement was associated with greater acceptance of sexual assault, sexual harassment, and gender-based incivility myths. In Study 2 (N=445), I employed an experimental online survey of U.S. adults to understand how neoliberal beliefs and perceptions of women’s sexual assault might vary as a function of stereotypes about marginalized groups of women. Supporting expectations, participants were more likely to blame Black women and women stereotyped as members of the “undeserving” poor (e.g., those who rely on government assistance and are not seen as honest and hardworking) for sexual assault compared to White and “deserving” poor women respectively. Additionally, partially supporting our expectations, higher participant blame toward Black women for sexual assault was mediated by perceptions that Black women were less valuable; further, this finding was mediated by stronger participant neoliberal belief endorsement. Similarly, higher participant blame toward the “undeserving” poor woman was mediated by perceptions of her oversexualization, and this relation was stronger among participants higher in neoliberal belief endorsement. In Study 3, I sought to understand the role of neoliberal beliefs in policies and practices that add constraints to lower-income women contributing to increased vulnerability to experiences of gender-based mistreatment based on their housing and workplace precarity. I inductively analyzed 22 interviews with Black and White women living and working in more (e.g., living in motels out of necessity and lack of access to permanent housing) or less precarious situations (e.g., living in government-funded housing) in Ypsilanti and Ann Arbor, MI. Participants described their workplace and housing experiences of mistreatment in terms of five themes: bureaucracy, safety/violence, space issues, and mistreatment, and neoliberal beliefs. Through these women’s reflections on their daily lives, they importantly demonstrate that research in areas of marginalized women’s mistreatment requires a deeply thoughtful approach to understanding the ways in which neoliberal policy and other influencers at the structural level implicate their individual experiences in day-to-day life.