THE PREDICTORS OF ATTITUDES TOWARD DIVORCED WOMEN: AMBIVALENT SEXISM AND SYSTEM JUSTIFICATION


Thesis Type: Postgraduate

Institution Of The Thesis: Middle East Technical University, Graduate School of Social Sciences, Turkey

Approval Date: 2019

Thesis Language: English

Student: DİDEM KOSKOS GÜREL

Supervisor: Nuray Sakallı Uğurlu

Abstract:

The main aim of this thesis was to examine the relationship between ambivalent sexism and gender related system justification with attitudes toward divorced women. This thesis contributed to the literature in two ways. First, I investigated attitudes toward divorced women in detailed and qualitative way. Second, I explored relationship between system justifying ideologies and ambivalence sexism toward divorced women were investigated. 413 participants filled the questionnaire (283 females, 130 males). The age range of the participants was between 17 and 60 (M=25.01; SD= 7.50). As measurement tools; Attitudes toward Divorced Women Scale (ADW) which has three subscales including Vulnerability of Divorced Women (VDW), Expected Behaviors for Divorced Women (EBDW), Perceived Hyper-Sexualistion of Divorced Women (PSDW), Ambivalent Sexism Inventory (ASI) which has two subscales including Hostile Sexism (HS) and Benevolent Sexism (BS), Gender-related System Justification Scale (GSJ), and demographic information form were used. Linear regression analysis were conducted for male and female participants separately for each sub factors of ADW. Results revealed that HS significantly predicted all three dimensions of ADW for both females and males. Among female participants, BS significantly predicted VDW and EBDW whereas PSDW was not predicted by BS. Among males, BS has a unique effect on predicting only EBDW. GSJ was found significantly predicting VDW and EBDW among both male and female participants. However, PSDW was not predicted by GSJ among both males and females. Results were discussed in the light of literature.

Keywords: Attitudes toward Divorced Women, Ambivalent Sexism, Hostile Sexism, Benevolent Sexism, System Justification, Gender, Gender-related System Justification