Dimensions of Support for Gender Ideologies: Gender and Migration Background Differences in Gender Role Attitudes

Drawing on original data from a multifactorial survey experiment conducted in Germany, wedevelop a theoretical model to examine support for gendered divisions of work. Specifically,we ask whether women and men vary in their evaluations of the specific gendered division ofpaid and unpaid work. Additionally, we examine whether these gender-based differences existamong participants from different backgrounds, native East and West Germans, as well asthose with Turkish and Dutch origins. Our findings reveal notable gender differences inattitudes. In three out of five gender ideology profiles, these gender differences aresignificant: Women are more likely to prefer egalitarian arrangements, while men tend tofavor more essentialist ideologies such as secondary-earner and women’s second shiftprofiles. We observe gender differences in support for egalitarian division among WestGerman, Turkish and Dutch participants (not significant due to small sample size). However,no such difference exist among East Germans. Furthermore, we identify important differencesbetween East German and West German women in their support for the ambivalent profile of“egalitarian familism.” Turkish men, in particular exhibit the least support for egalitarianarrangements and the strongest support for less egalitarian ones. Our theoretical approachproves effective in answering our research questions. Our findings suggest historical thatgender regimes and varying levels of exposure to egalitarian ideas among different groupsplay a key role in the shaping gender role attitudes.