Young peoples' beliefs and perception of gender inequality: Motivators or 'breaks' on active citizenship?

Bryony Hoskins, Magdalini Kolokitha &

Germ Janmaat

LLAKES, Institute of Education

Introduction

• Societies are unequal and this has negative consequences on social cohesion (Wilkinson)

• Investigate mechanisms of how values and behaviours are developed

• Gender equality

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What drives the need to act to create a socially just society?

• The Environment?– Debates on modernization thesis, civic culture, feminist political

orientation (Basic assumption) Environment – Values – Behaviour (Lundmark) Reflection of the real situation as things become more

equal there is less awareness of inequality but greater belief in equality

Feminist beliefs in both men and women increased interest in political and social change and the women and men with the reverse traditional beliefs less likely to participate

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What drives the need to act to create a socially just society?

• Perceiving or believing inequality?– Debates system beliefs in Meritocracy and the Just World

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What drives the need to act to create a socially just society?

• Interaction between culture and social class– Frazer

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Terminology

• Perceptions of inequalities = The individual’s everyday reality of inequalities. Their perception is based on their own experiences and observing others

• Equality as a Value = The abstract belief in equality. The Ideal situation which they believe should exist between different social groups and individuals

Data Source

• IEA 1999 CIVED study • 28 countries• 3000 students/ country• Grade 8 students in schools• Tests knowledge and skills • Questionnaire on attitude and values towards citizenship related

topics

Items

a) WOMEN SHOULD HAVE THE SAME RIGHTS AS MEN

Strongly Disagree

Disagree Agree Strongly

Agree

1 2 3 4

a) WOMEN HAVE FEWER CHANCES THAN MEN

Strongly Disagree Disagree Agree Strongly

Agree 1 2 3 4

1. Perceptions

2. Beliefs

Groupings (by Gender)Positive beliefs in G. Equality

High perceptions of G. inequality

Strongly agree

Strongly

disagree

Egalitarian –

dis-satisfied

Egalitarian-

satisfied

Traditional –

satisfied

Traditionalist –

dis-satisfied

Perceptions & beliefs categories

Percent

Girls Traditional-sat 0.8

Traditional-dis 1.5

Egalitarian-dis 15.6

Egalitarian-sat 34.0

Boys Traditional-sat 2.5

Traditional-dis 3.6

Egalitarian-dis 12.2

Egalitarian-sat 29.5

Cross Country Differences

Similar pattern of results across countries• Higher numbers of the egalitarian-dis boys and girls in

Sweden • Lowest numbers egalitarian-dis boys and girls in

Russia (and then other former communist countries) and the highest number of traditional boys and girls are there.

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Correlation with Gender Equality Index

– In countries with higher levels of equality there was a greater belief in equality 0.062** and a higher level of the perceptions of inequalities 0.035**

– GDP positive correlation only with beliefs in gender equality 0.076**

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Social background of groups

Social background measured by the number of books at home

• Egalitarian-dis-satisfied and satisfied girls above the mean

• Egalitarian-dis-satisfied boys below the mean

• Traditional-satisfied boys above the mean

Mean SD

Girls Traditional-sat 3.87 1.495

Traditional-dis 4.08 1.394

Egalitarian-dis 4.28 1.352

Egalitarian-sat 4.25 1.321

Boys Traditional-sat 4.08 1.472

Traditional-dis 4.23 1.439

Egalitarian-dis 4.20 1.393

Egalitarian-sat 4.28 1.345

The total mean is 4.23

Active Citizenship

Active citizenship: Participation in civil society, community and/or political life, characterised by mutual respect and non-violence and in accordance with human rights and democracy.

• Index of Participatory Attitudes 5 IRT scales • Internal political efficacy, expectation of community participation,

expected participation in political activities, self-confident participation in schools, and expectations associated with voting

Cronbach alpha 0.652

Perceptions & Beliefs and active citizenship

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Girls Estimate T

Education 1.7970*** 18.743Language .050874 -.565

Books 1.2338*** 12.631Cognition 2.8882*** 29.838Book Mean -1.3183*** 12.631G Egalitarian-dis .2783*** 29.838G Trad sat -.0951 -1.633

G Trad dis-sat -.2391*** -4.375

GEI -.6171* -2.364

Perceptions & Beliefs and active citizenship

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Boys Estimate T

Education 1.6089*** 16.308Language .0066 -.072

Books 1.3213*** 12.777Cognition 2.1929*** 22.214Book Mean -1.3758*** -9.005B Egalitarian-dis .3750*** 5.730B Trad sat -.2990*** -10.10

B Trad dis-sat -.6054*** -4.375

GEI -.2.1416** -3.478

SummaryFor both Girls and boys:

• Young people mostly believe in gender equality but the perceptions of inequalities are lower.

• A belief in meritocracy/ just world

 

Summary

• The interaction between cultural and economic inequalities is important - social background of individuals’ has influenced perceptions and beliefs. For girls it was those from a higher social background who

believed in gender equality The egalitarian-dis-satisfied had the highest social

background Boys different, only the egalitarian-satisfied group have an

above average social background.

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Summary• Limited evidence to support the environment hypothesis

Association is between equality and higher perceptions

»Reverse case of Sweden

GDP correlates with a belief in equality. However, it has no association with perceptions.

The alternative hypothesis, that perceptions are influencing the environment.

Conclusion

• Individuals who perceive inequalities and believe in gender equality highest association with participatory attitudes

• Further evidence that perceptions are influencing the behaviour which then could lead to changes in the environment

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