Everyday sexism and depression among women: a systematic review

Introduction: Women are twice as likely to suffer from depression as men. Discrimination based on female sex is a common stress factor. Previous literature has demonstrated that overt forms of sexism, such as physical violence, are associated with higher depression rates among women. However, little research has focused on everyday sexism and women’s depression. Everyday sexism refers to interpersonal experiences of sexism in daily life, which are not violent but nonetheless result in inequality in the relationship and chronic stress due to repeated exposure, primarily in workplaces and public environments. The present systematic review aimed to assess the relationship between everyday sexism and women’s depression. Method: Research articles indexed in PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus electronic databases were included based on keyword searches. The inclusion criteria for the present study were: research articles in English, published between 1 January 2004 and 31 August 2024, and studies addressing the relationship between sexism and women’s depression in the adult female population. Sixteen studies were included. Results: Exposure to sexist discrimination is associated with depressive symptomatology among adult women across age groups. Internalised sexist beliefs, on the other hand, vary regarding the ambivalent sexism approach. Internalised hostile sexist beliefs were related to depression, whereas internalised benevolent sexism did not show such a relationship with depressive symptomatology. Conclusion: Exposure to sexism and internalisation of hostile sexist beliefs are related to depressive symptoms among women.