The Aggrieved Sexism Questionnaire: Development and Validation of a Grievance-Based Anti-Women Ideology

Overtly hostile and extreme forms of sexism, particularly among young men exposed to misogynistic online content, have raised urgent concerns about the role of such attitudes in fostering gender-based violence and ideological extremism. We introduce the novel construct of aggrieved sexism, theorised to be a core belief system that leads to these harmful outcomes. Aggrieved sexism not only captures key themes of sexism as propagated in modern online spaces, but also how these beliefs converge into a grievance-based anti-women ideology in which men’s presumed innate superiority is seen as unjustly stripped away. Across three studies (total N = 1,183), we developed and validated the Aggrieved Sexism Questionnaire (ASQ), an instrument designed to measure this ideology. In Study 1, exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses supported the hypothesised structure of aggrieved sexism and provided initial validation. Study 2 replicated and extended these findings in an independent sample. Study 3 employed a longitudinal design to assess test–retest reliability and predictive validity for online harassment and violent fantasies. Across studies, the ASQ demonstrated strong psychometric properties and theoretical distinctiveness. Moreover, the ASQ was able to predict violent fantasies and online harassment, whereas existing sexism scales were not. Findings provide a novel measurement tool for research that advances theorising on radical misogyny.