[Page 136]Benevolent sexism is a type of sexism that includes seemingly positive views of women and is a component (along with hostile sexism) of ambivalent sexism. There are three subcomponents of benevolent sexism: (1) protective paternalism, which is the belief that because women are warm, caring, and maternal, they should be protected and provided for by men; (2) complementary gender differentiation, which is the belief that women (who are warm, other oriented, morally pure, and weak) and men (who are competent, independent, morally corruptible, and strong) have contrasting but complementary attributes; and (3) heterosexual intimacy, which is the belief that women and men are dependent on each other for both emotional closeness and reproduction. Although benevolent sexism rewards women with prosocial treatment, it reinforces their ...