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Women Read Horoscopes Because of Sexism

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A 2005 Gallup poll revealed that women are more prone to believing in astrology than men. Twenty-eight percent of women reported consulting their horoscopes as opposed to 23 percent of men. (A slight difference, but just enough to go ahead and draw conclusions!) Since every women’s magazine on the newsstand has its own monthly horoscope column, it seems like women have just been conditioned from the start to place their faith in the stars.

Well, it’s not just a conspiracy of magazine editors — it’s actually a result of sexism, argues a writer over at Mashable. After consulting some pop-psychology research, she concludes that women are more prone to believing in horoscopes because our sexist society leaves us feeling powerless. We’re so used to our fates being out of our hands that we find it easy enough to accept Susan Miller’s predictions each month.

So, with that in mind, click on over to this week’s Astrology GIFs — at least you can take comfort in the false sense of control offered by knowing what happens when Jupiter enters your house this week.

Women Read Horoscopes Because of Sexism