Gender Stereotypes and Self-efficacy as Determinants of Young Men’s Attitudes toward Working Women

Abstract

In the current study, the aim was to examine the relationships among gender stereotypes, self-efficacy, and attitudes toward working women among young adult men. For this correlational study, convenience sampling was used to recruit 200 men aged 18 to 35 years (M = 21.27, SD = 2.09) from public-sector universities. First, informed consent was obtained from the participants. Second, they were asked to complete a sociodemographic sheet. Finally, the Gender Role Beliefs Scale (Kerr & Holden, 1996), the General Self-Efficacy Scale (Jerusalem & Schwarzer, 2010), and the Multidimensional Aversion to Women Who Work Scale (Valentine, 2001) were administered. Results revealed that stronger gender stereotypes were associated with more traditional attitudes toward working women, and self-efficacy was negatively related to gender stereotypes and attitudes towards working women. Additionally, gender stereotypes significantly predicted attitudes toward working women. Self-efficacy mediated the relationship between gender stereotypes and attitudes towards working women. Finally, no demographic differences emerged except that the participants in nuclear families reported stronger gender-stereotypical beliefs. The findings stress the need to keenly counter gender bias by gender-sensitization trainings and advancing gender-equitable policies, particularly in workplaces where women remain underrepresented.