Rotem Kahalon
Biographic Data
| ID | 303338 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Rotem Kahalon |
| GIVEN NAMES | Rotem |
| FAMILY NAME | Kahalon |
| SIGNATURE | KAHALON R |
| AFFILIATIONS | Bar-Ilan University |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-4718-6119 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 20 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 79 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 20 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2018 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 5 |
Gestational Body Mass Gain and Mental Health During Pregnancy Among Cisgender Heterosexual Women: An Objectification Theory Perspective
Pregnancy is marked by visible bodily changes such as weight gain. Guided by objectification theory, this study aimed to test whether gestational body mass gain—an indicator of visible bodily transformation—is associated with perceived interpersonal objectification experiences that position one's body as an object of appearance-based evaluation. These experiences may, in turn, be related to greater self-objectification, which may subsequently cor…
Defensive Responses to Masculinity Threat: The Role of Precarious Manhood in Reactions to the Male Contraceptive Pill
This study examines how men evaluate a potentially masculinity-threatening message about the availability of a male birth control pill, framed as being released in the near versus distant future. Drawing on research on health-related defense mechanisms and precarious manhood, we hypothesized that men with higher levels of precarious manhood beliefs would react more defensively to the message – exhibiting greater message derogation, avoidance, low…
Self-Objectification and Sexuality: A Systematic Scoping Review
Objectification theory posits that women are viewed and treated as objects valued primarily for their appearance and sexual desirability for others. This feminist framework argues that the ubiquitous objectifying gaze in Western heterosexual culture causes women to view themselves as objects (i.e. self-objectification), which has been associated with negative mental health outcomes - particularly depression, eating disorders, and less frequently …
Vagina, Pussy, Vulva, Vag: Women's Names for Their Genitals are Differentially Associated with Sexual and Health Outcomes
Feminist scholars have long emphasized the power of language in shaping women's feelings and behaviors towards their bodies, yet this proposition remains underexplored with regard to women’s genitals. This study examined the terms women use to name their genitals and their associations with genital attitudes, sexual pleasure, and genital health behaviors across both non-sexual and sexual contexts. A total of 475 women from the United States, repr…
Just a Few Bad Apples: Perceiving Sexist Men as Non‐Typical to the Larger Category of Men Serves to Maintain the Gender Hierarchy
Social problems, including those related to gender discrimination, are often simplistically attributed to a few ‘bad apples’ rather than systemic issues. This research explores one aspect of this under‐investigated phenomenon by focusing on women's perceptions of sexist men. Three pre‐registered correlational studies ( n = 647) explored whether women's tendency to perceive sexist men as non‐typical (‘bad apples’) versus typical of the larger cate…
Self-objectification and unhealthy pregnancy behaviors: Testing the moderating role of high-risk pregnancy and previous miscarriage
Preliminary research suggest that self-objectification during pregnancy is associated with poorer psychological and mental health. Focusing on primiparous pregnant women ( n = 391, mean age = 30.35), this study explored the relationship between self-objectification and unhealthy pregnancy behaviors, with pregnancy-related body dissatisfaction as a mediator. Building on health theories that highlight perceived threats as drivers of health behavior…
The dual lens of objectification: Perceived objectification, male partners' reported objectification, and women's detrimental sexual outcomes
Objectification theory posits that women are treated merely as a body, valued for its use, pleasure and consumption by and for others, mainly men. Women are also disadvantaged relative to men when it comes to sexually pleasurable experiences, including lower orgasm rates and a higher burden of performing sexual emotional labour (e.g., faking orgasm, performing desire for the partner, tolerating discomfort or pain during sex). We tested the hypoth…
Self-objectification endorsement among heterosexual and sexual minority people and its association with negative affect and substance use
How to respond to inappropriate questions in job interviews: Personal and social consequences of truth‐telling, deflection and confrontation
Parents, especially mothers, and young women without children, face a subtle threat in job interviews: being asked inappropriate questions about parental status. In three vignette experiments ( N = 760), we compared personal (perceived likability and likelihood of being hired) and social consequences (perceived chances that the interviewer will ask the inappropriate question again) of different response strategies. Results suggest that deflection…
Self‐objectification and sexual dysfunction among women: Testing and extending objectification theory
Objectification theory predicts that women's self‐objectification should lead to sexual dysfunction, yet previous studies failed to provide consistent support for this prediction. The present research—which used two sufficiently powered samples and a self‐objectification measurement (SOBBS) with improved psychometric qualities and content validity than previous measurements—found support for the expected association between self‐objectification a…
Brilliance as gender deviance: Gender-role incongruity as another barrier to women's success in academic fields
High-Quality Contact With Fellow Majority Group Students Is Associated With Better Academic Performance of Minority Group Students
We examined the association between intergroup contact and academic performance at university among minority students in a context with a segregated pre-university school system. Study 1 tested whether participation in a group dynamics course, which involves intimate interpersonal contact between Israeli Arab ( n = 125) and Jewish students, was associated with better grade point average (GPA). As expected, Arab students who participated in the co…
Devaluation of Women’s Sexual Pleasure: Role of Relationship Context and Endorsement of the Madonna-Whore Dichotomy
In two pre-registered experiments with German samples, we tested the role of endorsement of the Madonna-whore-dichotomy and the relationship context (sex in a committed relationship vs. casual sex) in the devaluation of women’s sexual pleasure. Using the context of dating apps in Study 1, men who reported higher endorsement of the Madonna-whore-dichotomy believed that other men would be less interested in fulfilling a woman’s sexual desires, show…
Gender bias in the evaluation of interns in different medical specialties: An archival study
INTRODUCTION: The field of medicine is characterized by within-field gender segregation: Gender ratios vary systematically by subdisciplines. This segregation might be, in part, due to gender bias in the assessment of women and men medical doctors. METHODS: We examined whether the assessments, i.e. overall score, department scores and skills scores, interns receive by their superiors during their internship year, vary as a function of their gende…
Mentioning the Sample’s Country in the Article’s Title Leads to Bias in Research Evaluation
Psychology research from Western, educated, industrialized, rich, and democratic (WEIRD) countries, especially from the United States, receives more scientific attention than research from non-WEIRD countries. We investigate one structural way that this inequality might be enacted: mentioning the sample's country in the article title. Analyzing the current publication practice of four leading social psychology journals (Study 1) and conducting tw…
Maternal Expectations Among Pregnant Women from Single, Lesbian, and Heterosexual Parented families
Little is known about the psychological processes of pregnant women in different family structures. Aiming to fill this gap, the present study examined the prenatal maternal expectations (common cultural beliefs about what women can expect during the transition to motherhood) of women from lesbian ( n = 51), single ( n = 57), and heterosexual ( n = 893) parented families. The results suggest that maternal expectations differ by family structure. …
The Effects of Exposure to Positive Gender Stereotypes on Women’s and Men’s Performance in Counter-Stereotypical Tasks and Pursuit of Agentic and Communal Goals
Two studies examined the effects of exposure to positive gender stereotypes on performance in counter-stereotypical domains and pursuit of agentic and communal goals. Exposure to stereotypes about women’s communality (Study 1, N = 108) led to impaired math performance among women, regardless of their math identification. Exposure to stereotypes about men’s agency (Study 2, N = 129) led to impaired performance in a test of socio-emotional ability …
The Madonna-Whore Dichotomy Is Associated With Patriarchy Endorsement: Evidence From Israel, the United States, and Germany
The madonna-whore dichotomy denotes polarized perceptions of women as either good and chaste or as bad and promiscuous. In the present research, we examined the correlates of madonna-whore dichotomy among samples of heterosexual Israeli, U.S., and German women and heterosexual U.S. and German men. Demonstrating cross-cultural generalizability, madonna-whore dichotomy endorsement correlated with endorsement of patriarchy-supporting ideologies acro…
Don’t Bother Your Pretty Little Head”: Appearance Compliments Lead to Improved Mood but Impaired Cognitive Performance
We examined whether appearance compliments, despite their flattery, undermine cognitive performance. In Study 1, women participants ( N = 88 Israeli university students) who wrote about past situations in which they had received appearance compliments (but not competence-related compliments) showed worse math performance than women in a control/no compliment condition—especially if they scored high on trait self-objectification (TSO). In Study 2,…
The Madonna-Whore Dichotomy: Men Who Perceive Women's Nurturance and Sexuality as Mutually Exclusive Endorse Patriarchy and Show Lower Relationship Satisfaction
The Madonna-Whore Dichotomy: Men Who Perceive Women's Nurturance and Sexuality as Mutually Exclusive Endorse Patriarchy and Show Lower Relationship Satisfaction
The Madonna-Whore Dichotomy Is Associated With Patriarchy Endorsement: Evidence From Israel, the United States, and Germany
The madonna-whore dichotomy denotes polarized perceptions of women as either good and chaste or as bad and promiscuous. In the present research, we examined the correlates of madonna-whore dichotomy among samples of heterosexual Israeli, U.S., and German women and heterosexual U.S. and German men. Demonstrating cross-cultural generalizability, madonna-whore dichotomy endorsement correlated with endorsement of patriarchy-supporting ideologies acro…
Don’t Bother Your Pretty Little Head”: Appearance Compliments Lead to Improved Mood but Impaired Cognitive Performance
We examined whether appearance compliments, despite their flattery, undermine cognitive performance. In Study 1, women participants ( N = 88 Israeli university students) who wrote about past situations in which they had received appearance compliments (but not competence-related compliments) showed worse math performance than women in a control/no compliment condition—especially if they scored high on trait self-objectification (TSO). In Study 2,…
Devaluation of Women’s Sexual Pleasure: Role of Relationship Context and Endorsement of the Madonna-Whore Dichotomy
In two pre-registered experiments with German samples, we tested the role of endorsement of the Madonna-whore-dichotomy and the relationship context (sex in a committed relationship vs. casual sex) in the devaluation of women’s sexual pleasure. Using the context of dating apps in Study 1, men who reported higher endorsement of the Madonna-whore-dichotomy believed that other men would be less interested in fulfilling a woman’s sexual desires, show…
Brilliance as gender deviance: Gender-role incongruity as another barrier to women's success in academic fields
Self-objectification endorsement among heterosexual and sexual minority people and its association with negative affect and substance use
Self‐objectification and sexual dysfunction among women: Testing and extending objectification theory
Objectification theory predicts that women's self‐objectification should lead to sexual dysfunction, yet previous studies failed to provide consistent support for this prediction. The present research—which used two sufficiently powered samples and a self‐objectification measurement (SOBBS) with improved psychometric qualities and content validity than previous measurements—found support for the expected association between self‐objectification a…
The dual lens of objectification: Perceived objectification, male partners' reported objectification, and women's detrimental sexual outcomes
Objectification theory posits that women are treated merely as a body, valued for its use, pleasure and consumption by and for others, mainly men. Women are also disadvantaged relative to men when it comes to sexually pleasurable experiences, including lower orgasm rates and a higher burden of performing sexual emotional labour (e.g., faking orgasm, performing desire for the partner, tolerating discomfort or pain during sex). We tested the hypoth…
Don’t Bother Your Pretty Little Head”: Appearance Compliments Lead to Improved Mood but Impaired Cognitive Performance
We examined whether appearance compliments, despite their flattery, undermine cognitive performance. In Study 1, women participants ( N = 88 Israeli university students) who wrote about past situations in which they had received appearance compliments (but not competence-related compliments) showed worse math performance than women in a control/no compliment condition—especially if they scored high on trait self-objectification (TSO). In Study 2,…
The Madonna-Whore Dichotomy: Men Who Perceive Women's Nurturance and Sexuality as Mutually Exclusive Endorse Patriarchy and Show Lower Relationship Satisfaction
The Effects of Exposure to Positive Gender Stereotypes on Women’s and Men’s Performance in Counter-Stereotypical Tasks and Pursuit of Agentic and Communal Goals
Two studies examined the effects of exposure to positive gender stereotypes on performance in counter-stereotypical domains and pursuit of agentic and communal goals. Exposure to stereotypes about women’s communality (Study 1, N = 108) led to impaired math performance among women, regardless of their math identification. Exposure to stereotypes about men’s agency (Study 2, N = 129) led to impaired performance in a test of socio-emotional ability …
The Madonna-Whore Dichotomy Is Associated With Patriarchy Endorsement: Evidence From Israel, the United States, and Germany
The madonna-whore dichotomy denotes polarized perceptions of women as either good and chaste or as bad and promiscuous. In the present research, we examined the correlates of madonna-whore dichotomy among samples of heterosexual Israeli, U.S., and German women and heterosexual U.S. and German men. Demonstrating cross-cultural generalizability, madonna-whore dichotomy endorsement correlated with endorsement of patriarchy-supporting ideologies acro…
Maternal Expectations Among Pregnant Women from Single, Lesbian, and Heterosexual Parented families
Little is known about the psychological processes of pregnant women in different family structures. Aiming to fill this gap, the present study examined the prenatal maternal expectations (common cultural beliefs about what women can expect during the transition to motherhood) of women from lesbian ( n = 51), single ( n = 57), and heterosexual ( n = 893) parented families. The results suggest that maternal expectations differ by family structure. …
Gender bias in the evaluation of interns in different medical specialties: An archival study
INTRODUCTION: The field of medicine is characterized by within-field gender segregation: Gender ratios vary systematically by subdisciplines. This segregation might be, in part, due to gender bias in the assessment of women and men medical doctors. METHODS: We examined whether the assessments, i.e. overall score, department scores and skills scores, interns receive by their superiors during their internship year, vary as a function of their gende…
Mentioning the Sample’s Country in the Article’s Title Leads to Bias in Research Evaluation
Psychology research from Western, educated, industrialized, rich, and democratic (WEIRD) countries, especially from the United States, receives more scientific attention than research from non-WEIRD countries. We investigate one structural way that this inequality might be enacted: mentioning the sample's country in the article title. Analyzing the current publication practice of four leading social psychology journals (Study 1) and conducting tw…
High-Quality Contact With Fellow Majority Group Students Is Associated With Better Academic Performance of Minority Group Students
We examined the association between intergroup contact and academic performance at university among minority students in a context with a segregated pre-university school system. Study 1 tested whether participation in a group dynamics course, which involves intimate interpersonal contact between Israeli Arab ( n = 125) and Jewish students, was associated with better grade point average (GPA). As expected, Arab students who participated in the co…
Devaluation of Women’s Sexual Pleasure: Role of Relationship Context and Endorsement of the Madonna-Whore Dichotomy
In two pre-registered experiments with German samples, we tested the role of endorsement of the Madonna-whore-dichotomy and the relationship context (sex in a committed relationship vs. casual sex) in the devaluation of women’s sexual pleasure. Using the context of dating apps in Study 1, men who reported higher endorsement of the Madonna-whore-dichotomy believed that other men would be less interested in fulfilling a woman’s sexual desires, show…
Self-objectification endorsement among heterosexual and sexual minority people and its association with negative affect and substance use
How to respond to inappropriate questions in job interviews: Personal and social consequences of truth‐telling, deflection and confrontation
Parents, especially mothers, and young women without children, face a subtle threat in job interviews: being asked inappropriate questions about parental status. In three vignette experiments ( N = 760), we compared personal (perceived likability and likelihood of being hired) and social consequences (perceived chances that the interviewer will ask the inappropriate question again) of different response strategies. Results suggest that deflection…
Self‐objectification and sexual dysfunction among women: Testing and extending objectification theory
Objectification theory predicts that women's self‐objectification should lead to sexual dysfunction, yet previous studies failed to provide consistent support for this prediction. The present research—which used two sufficiently powered samples and a self‐objectification measurement (SOBBS) with improved psychometric qualities and content validity than previous measurements—found support for the expected association between self‐objectification a…
Brilliance as gender deviance: Gender-role incongruity as another barrier to women's success in academic fields
Defensive Responses to Masculinity Threat: The Role of Precarious Manhood in Reactions to the Male Contraceptive Pill
This study examines how men evaluate a potentially masculinity-threatening message about the availability of a male birth control pill, framed as being released in the near versus distant future. Drawing on research on health-related defense mechanisms and precarious manhood, we hypothesized that men with higher levels of precarious manhood beliefs would react more defensively to the message – exhibiting greater message derogation, avoidance, low…
Self-Objectification and Sexuality: A Systematic Scoping Review
Objectification theory posits that women are viewed and treated as objects valued primarily for their appearance and sexual desirability for others. This feminist framework argues that the ubiquitous objectifying gaze in Western heterosexual culture causes women to view themselves as objects (i.e. self-objectification), which has been associated with negative mental health outcomes - particularly depression, eating disorders, and less frequently …
Vagina, Pussy, Vulva, Vag: Women's Names for Their Genitals are Differentially Associated with Sexual and Health Outcomes
Feminist scholars have long emphasized the power of language in shaping women's feelings and behaviors towards their bodies, yet this proposition remains underexplored with regard to women’s genitals. This study examined the terms women use to name their genitals and their associations with genital attitudes, sexual pleasure, and genital health behaviors across both non-sexual and sexual contexts. A total of 475 women from the United States, repr…
Just a Few Bad Apples: Perceiving Sexist Men as Non‐Typical to the Larger Category of Men Serves to Maintain the Gender Hierarchy
Social problems, including those related to gender discrimination, are often simplistically attributed to a few ‘bad apples’ rather than systemic issues. This research explores one aspect of this under‐investigated phenomenon by focusing on women's perceptions of sexist men. Three pre‐registered correlational studies ( n = 647) explored whether women's tendency to perceive sexist men as non‐typical (‘bad apples’) versus typical of the larger cate…
Self-objectification and unhealthy pregnancy behaviors: Testing the moderating role of high-risk pregnancy and previous miscarriage
Preliminary research suggest that self-objectification during pregnancy is associated with poorer psychological and mental health. Focusing on primiparous pregnant women ( n = 391, mean age = 30.35), this study explored the relationship between self-objectification and unhealthy pregnancy behaviors, with pregnancy-related body dissatisfaction as a mediator. Building on health theories that highlight perceived threats as drivers of health behavior…
The dual lens of objectification: Perceived objectification, male partners' reported objectification, and women's detrimental sexual outcomes
Objectification theory posits that women are treated merely as a body, valued for its use, pleasure and consumption by and for others, mainly men. Women are also disadvantaged relative to men when it comes to sexually pleasurable experiences, including lower orgasm rates and a higher burden of performing sexual emotional labour (e.g., faking orgasm, performing desire for the partner, tolerating discomfort or pain during sex). We tested the hypoth…
Gestational Body Mass Gain and Mental Health During Pregnancy Among Cisgender Heterosexual Women: An Objectification Theory Perspective
Pregnancy is marked by visible bodily changes such as weight gain. Guided by objectification theory, this study aimed to test whether gestational body mass gain—an indicator of visible bodily transformation—is associated with perceived interpersonal objectification experiences that position one's body as an object of appearance-based evaluation. These experiences may, in turn, be related to greater self-objectification, which may subsequently cor…
Psychology (15 works) · Social Psychology (14 works) · Social Psychology (9 works) · Developmental psychology (8 works) · Gender Roles and Identity Studies (7 works) · Objectification (7 works) · Social and Intergroup Psychology (6 works) · Sociology (6 works) · Eating Disorders and Behaviors (5 works) · Gender Studies (5 works)