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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