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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