Link between sexual objectification and aggression

There is a direct relation between the sexual objectification of girls and aggression towards them, research by psychologists at the University has shown.

The study, which looked at youth members of gangs as well as those with no gang affiliation, provides the first evidence of a link between objectification and non-sexual aggression in young people.

Dr Eduardo Vasquez and colleagues at the School of Psychology, together with a former student, found that higher levels of objectification were significant predictors of aggression towards girls.

Their findings are consistent with the claim that, among other negative outcomes, the perception of women as nothing but sexual objects also evokes aggression against them.

The research also established that watching television and playing violent video games were positively correlated with both sexual objectification and aggression towards girls.

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