Subvert or Reinforce Status Quo? The Role of Men (vs. Women) as Feminist Joke Tellers and Feminist Identification on Collective Action

Abstract

Feminist humor aims to redefine gender stereotypes, challenge sexism, and empower women. Previous research suggests that individual (i.e., feminist identity) and contextual factors (i.e., humor type and joke teller gender) play an important role in interpreting feminist humor as a tool to subvert sexism and its subsequent impact. Two studies were conducted to analyze the influence of participants’ feminist identification and the joke teller's gender on the appreciation and interpretation of feminist humor (Study 1) and on the proclivity to engage in collective action (Study 2). In Study 1 (N = 307), we manipulated humor type (feminist vs. neutral) and gender of the joke teller (woman vs. man). We found that weaker feminist identifiers perceived more criticism of sexism when the feminist (vs. neutral) joke was told by a woman (vs. a man), but no significant differences emerged in appreciation responses (i.e., funniness and aversiveness). In Study 2 (N = 200), we extended these findings and found that weaker feminist identifiers reported greater proclivity to engage in collective action after exposure to feminist jokes told by a woman, not by a man. These findings contribute an understanding of factors that support the goals of feminist humor, including its aims to raise awareness of sexism, enable the recruitment of activists, and promote mobilization for social change.