Bitch Syndrome: Investigating How Masking, Late Diagnosis, and the Patriarchy Impact Autistic Women’s Social Experiences

Abstract

This study proposes a new term “bitch syndrome,” intended to encapsulate the experiences autistic women face at the intersection of disability and the patriarchy: the double stigmatization of failing to be feminine enough while also failing to adhere to allistic social standards. Being labeled as “bitchy” by their peers leads these women to produce and sustain allistic “masks” more successfully and for longer periods than male autists, which reinforces gendered behavioral expectations. This study is a mixed-method phenomenological approach that examines first-person narratives from autistic women using TikToks, Tweets, and other written narratives. This study quantitatively identifies the words most commonly used negatively towards autistic women, and then seeks to qualitatively understand how identified themes permeate these interactions to reproduce stigma against autism and disability, patriarchal gender norms, and a culture of closeted silence for autistic women. This study contributes to a growing body of research into why autistic women are underdiagnosed. Importantly, this study is on a research topic of great importance to the autistic community itself, and participates in the fast-growing movement for autism research to be done by autistic people.