Results are reported of a study to determine whether sexism is an outgrowth of racism, using the variables of social class, general conservatism, and economic traditionalism. The sample consisted of 522 students (47% female, 53% male) in small liberal arts college. Participants were administered questionnaires by trained interviewers and data were analyzed according to path analysis. Results indicated that racism and sexism are similar. Both spring from the same psychological characteristics, both are facilitated by observable physical characteristics, and both play the same structural role in the economy of modern societies. The path analysis also revealed that the direct path from political conservatism to sexism is strong and that the general conservatism that is widespread in American society is an underlying causal element in both racism and sexism. The author concludes that rather than view people as racist or not racist, sexist or not sexist, or politically conservative or liberal, one should recognize that these are continuous variables that are present to a greater or lesser extent in all Americans. (Author/KC)