Manly men are just as likely to cheat as misogynistic men, but women are more likely to cheat

Chivalry isn’t dead—but maybe it should be.

While the vile misogynistic male has been demonized for his blatant prejudice against women, Prince Charming has lived up to his chivalrous reputation, with new findings showing that he could very well be deceiving Prince Charming — and she might have no idea about it.

“Benevolent” sexism refers to the idea that women are vulnerable and in need of protection from men, an idea that could easily be misinterpreted as just being polite. However, this seemingly protective and paternalistic idea of ​​masculinity is based on the same patriarchal principles as “hostile” sexism—essentially, the idea that men are superior to women—which is an open disdain for women.

New findings highlight that seemingly dutiful men are more likely to cheat than women realize. In the United States, about 21% of men and 13% of women have left their relationship in some way. In previous studies, traits such as promiscuity, previous infidelity, and insecure attachment have all been linked to predictors of cheating, a new study in PsyPost reports.

In addition to the red flags mentioned above, a new report published in the Journal of Sex Research explored whether sexist attitudes were a reliable predictor of infidelity, as well as the likelihood of infidelity among men with both benign and hostile sexist attitudes and men without sexist attitudes. They also wanted to know how strongly women perceived which group was most likely to cheat.

The first test involved 379 heterosexual men from the United States, who answered questions to assess their level of sexist values ​​and their likelihood of cheating, including whether they had cheated in the past or thought about cheating. The survey confirmed that both hostile and benign sexist attitudes were significant indicators of infidelity, and the higher the sexism of the men, the more likely they were to consider or carry out infidelity.

The researchers then conducted a follow-up experiment with 544 heterosexual American men to confirm the results and assess the extent to which sexist men valued power in their relationships. Again, both forms of sexism were strong indicators of infidelity and were strongly associated with people in positions of power in their relationships—perhaps making them more likely to cheat.

A final test measured whether women were as cautious about benign sexist attitudes as they were about hostile sexist attitudes. After making a series of hypothetical statements about three types of men (one who displayed hostile sexism, one who displayed benign sexism, and one who displayed no sexism), 244 heterosexual women rated each type according to how likely they thought the subject would cheat.

Women are accusing them of[using] “They consistently try to deceive women, seek to limit a man’s independence in a relationship and exert undue control over his behavior for their own ends.” In fact, men who harbor this kind of resentment toward women are more likely to cheat on their female partners.

Women, by contrast, are blind to the charms of benevolent men who promote ideas such as “men must provide financial support and economic security for women.” Even if they find such statements condescending or anti-feminist, they are unable to adequately assess whether these men are adulterers.

Women may underestimate women who display benevolently sexist attitudes because they misinterpret those views as protective or loyal, the researchers concluded in their report.

“Our results are consistent with previous research showing that men who engage in benign sexism are perceived as willing to commit to their relationships,” they wrote, according to PsyPost. “Thus, women find these men attractive even when they also perceive them as condescending and destructive.”