Transcript Slide 1

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
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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
1. Perceptions
a) WOMEN HAVE FEWER CHANCES THAN MEN
Strongly
Disagree
1
Disagree
Agree
2
3
Strongly
Agree
4
2. Beliefs
a) WOMEN SHOULD HAVE THE SAME RIGHTS AS MEN
Strongly
Disagree
Disagree
Agree
Strongly
Agree
1
2
3
4
Groupings (by Gender)
Strongly
agree
Positive beliefs in G.
Equality
Egalitarian –
Egalitarian-
dis-satisfied
satisfied
High perceptions of
G. inequality
Traditional –
Traditionalist –
satisfied
dis-satisfied
Strongly
disagree
Perceptions & beliefs
categories
Percent
Girls
Boys
Traditional-sat
Traditional-dis
Egalitarian-dis
Egalitarian-sat
Traditional-sat
Traditional-dis
Egalitarian-dis
Egalitarian-sat
0.8
1.5
15.6
34.0
2.5
3.6
12.2
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
• Egalitarian-dis-satisfied and satisfied girls above the
mean
• Egalitarian-dis-satisfied boys below the mean
• Traditional-satisfied boys above the mean
Girls
Boys
Mean
SD
Traditional-sat
3.87
1.495
Traditional-dis
4.08
1.394
Egalitarian-dis
4.28
1.352
Egalitarian-sat
4.25
1.321
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
Social background measured by the
number of books at home
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
Girls
Education
Language
Books
Cognition
Book Mean
G Egalitarian-dis
G Trad sat
G Trad dis-sat
GEI
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Estimate
1.7970***
.050874
1.2338***
2.8882***
-1.3183***
.2783***
-.0951
-.2391***
-.6171*
T
18.743
-.565
12.631
29.838
12.631
29.838
-1.633
-4.375
-2.364
Perceptions & Beliefs and
active citizenship
Boys
Education
Language
Books
Cognition
Book Mean
B Egalitarian-dis
B Trad sat
B Trad dis-sat
GEI
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Estimate
1.6089***
.0066
1.3213***
2.1929***
-1.3758***
.3750***
-.2990***
-.6054***
-.2.1416**
T
16.308
-.072
12.777
22.214
-9.005
5.730
-10.10
-4.375
-3.478
Summary
For 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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