Holding on to patriarchy-reinforcing beliefs comes at a price

Some men categorize women into two groups: either they are chaste, nurturing and good, or they are promiscuous, manipulative, and out to seduce them. This polarizing “Madonna-Whore dichotomy” is grounded in a man’s desire to reinforce male dominance, and not only relates to attitudes that restrict a woman’s autonomy, but also impairs intimate relationships between men and women. This is according to a study led by Orly Bareket and Rotem Kahalon of Tel Aviv University in Israel, which is published in Springer’s journal Sex Roles.