Health · Mental Health · 23 hrs ago
Everyday sexism can deepen social anxiety in women, researcher says
A researcher says everyday sexism can contribute to women's social anxiety.
The account draws on interviews with women who described street harassment and having their ideas ignored in work meetings.
One woman said repeated harassment made her worry about it the next day, while another said colleagues later accepted suggestions after male coworkers repeated them.
The researcher connects these experiences to wider patterns, including workplace inequality and sexual violence in England and Wales.
Being dismissed as too sensitive can add to self-doubt and lead people to repeatedly question what happened and whether they were at fault.
The idea of feminist consciousness-raising offers a way to see these experiences as linked to wider social structures, rather than as isolated personal problems.
The researcher argues that recognizing these patterns matters because women’s experiences may help explain why social anxiety develops and persists.
A researcher says everyday sexism can contribute to women’s social anxiety.
Women interviewed for the researcher’s 2024 master’s research described experiences such as street harassment and being ignored in work meetings as part of their anxiety.
The article says these experiences can prompt women to question whether they were too sensitive or at fault.
It connects the experiences to wider issues, including the gender pay gap and sexual violence.
- Who
- Women interviewed for the researcher’s study, including women identified as Ellen, Ria and Farah.
- What
- A researcher says everyday sexism can deepen women’s social anxiety. Interviewees described street harassment, being ignored at work and being told they were too sensitive.
- When
- The article was published on November 7, 2026. The interviews were part of research identified as a 2024 master’s study.
- Where
- The article discusses experiences in the workplace and on the street. Its cited statistics concern England and Wales.
- Why
- The researcher says sexist experiences can undermine confidence and lead women to worry about negative evaluation or question their own reactions.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Feminist consciousness-raising emerged during second-wave feminism.
New York Radical Women staged a protest at the Miss America pageant.
The researcher interviewed socially anxious women as part of master’s research.
Psychology Today published the article.
- Research
- Interviews formed part of a 2024 master’s study
- Gender pay gap
- 6.8 percent in 2026, according to the article
- Sexual violence statistic
- 1 in 4 women over 16 in England and Wales has been raped or sexually assaulted, citing ONS data from 2025
- Examples described
- Street harassment, women’s suggestions being ignored in meetings, and being called sensitive
What people are saying
[I]t constantly happens […] it’s an everyday battle, so therefore why would you not internalise […] take that with you and worry about it the next day?
[W]hen it happens more than once […] eventually, it’s going to chip away at you, isn’t it?
Well, you’re so sensitive.