Society has claimed their bodies: how moral standards weigh more heavily on women than on men.

Throughout human history, society has established various forms of control over women's bodies — from dictating appropriate clothing to restricting reproductive rights. This control is often rooted in the perception that women view their bodily choices through a moral lens, a perspective that applies to men to a lesser extent. This discrepancy may shed light on the stricter societal judgments and rules that women face regarding their bodies, as noted by PsyPost.

Dr. Tecla Morgenroth, an associate professor of social psychology at Purdue University, sought to understand the origins of these gender restrictions. “We observe numerous limitations on women's bodily autonomy around the world — far more than for men,” Morgenroth stated, “This includes unique behaviors related to women, such as access to abortion, but even in actions applicable to both genders, there are discrepancies. For instance, men going topless at the beach is commonplace, while for women it is unacceptable.”

To study this phenomenon, researchers conducted two studies in the United States. The first study involved 335 participants who evaluated various types of behavior, some related to the body (such as getting a tattoo, appearing topless in public), and others not (like littering, being late). Participants assessed the moral implications of these actions, considering who performed them — a man or a woman.

The results, published in the European Journal of Social Psychology, indicated that body-related behavior is more frequently viewed as a moral issue when associated with women than with men. This pattern persisted even after accounting for social acceptability, highlighting the evident moralization of the female body.

The second phase of the research focused on public toplessness — a context where women's bodily autonomy is often restricted, while men do not face similar challenges. Researchers found that participants were more likely to use moral arguments when evaluating female toplessness compared to male toplessness. Furthermore, individuals with higher levels of benevolent sexism — a form of prejudice idealizing women in traditional roles — were more inclined to moralize specifically the female body.

These findings suggest that societal tendencies to moralize the female body contribute to increased restrictions and judgments faced by women. Understanding this bias is crucial for addressing the issue of unequal standards imposed on bodily autonomy, the authors argue. This research clearly illustrates the extent of moral condemnation surrounding the female body and helps to understand the societal mechanisms that entrench gender inequality regarding bodily autonomy in various parts of the world.