Race/Ethnicity and Sex Differences in Attitudes Toward Policies for Gender Equality in the United States

ABSTRACT

This study examines whether intersecting identities of race/ethnicity and sex are associated with attitudes toward gender equality policies, using online survey data from a representative sample in the United States carried out in August 2020. Participants (N = 2,443) were categorized as White Male, Black Male, Hispanic Male, White Female, Black Female, and Hispanic Female. Findings reveal that women across racial/ethnic groups and minority men, as compared to White men, have more egalitarian views on the importance of gender equality in policy and politics. While there is general support for women in political leadership, the race/ethnicity by sex differences in attitudes related to gender equality in employment are larger. These findings update and extend prior research on sex differences in gender equality attitudes, including highlighting the presence of a sex and race/ethnicity interaction.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Attitudes are drivers of change when it comes to gender equality.

• In the US, there is majority support for gender equality, albeit with key gaps by race/ethnicity and sex.

• Women are more likely than men to hold egalitarian views.

• Men are more attached to traditional family roles for women, regardless of race.

• All men tend to relatively gain from patriarchal norms around paid and unpaid work.

KEYWORDS:

• Intersectionality
• race/ethnicity
• gender attitudes
• gender equality
• United States

JEL Codes:

• J16

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Nabamallika Dehingia

Nabamallika Dehingia is a doctoral candidate in Global Health at a joint program in San Diego State University and University of California San Diego (UCSD). She is a pre-doctoral fellow at Center on Gender Equity and Health (GEH) at UCSD, and holds a post-graduate diploma in rural management. Her research focuses on gender-based violence, family planning, and the use of machine learning for applied gender analysis.

Jeni Klugman

Dr. Jeni Klugman is Managing Director at the Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security and Senior Adviser at the Stanford University Center for Gender Equality. Jeni’s previous positions include Fellow at the Kennedy School of Government’s Women in Public Policy Program at Harvard University, Director of Gender and Development at the World Bank, and director and lead author of three global Human Development Reports published by the UNDP. Jeni has published over a dozen books and major global reports, and co-authored over seventy articles in peer-reviewed journals. Jeni has participated in major global gender policy initiatives, including the Lancet Series on Gender Equality; the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation’s strategy on women’s economic empowerment; and the Council on Foreign Relations’ Advisory Committee on economic inclusion and global growth. Jeni is currently a member of The Lancet Global Commission on Gender and Health and advising the World Bank on the gender dimensions of forced displacement.

Elena Ortiz

Elena Ortiz is a senior at Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service studying International Politics and Security Studies. For the past two years, she has worked as Research Assistant at the Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security. Following her graduation, she will be pursuing a Master’s degree in International Development and Humanitarian Emergencies at the London School of Economics and Political Science.

Anita Raj

Dr. Anita Raj is Tata Chancellor Professor of Society and Health. She is Professor in both the Departments of Medicine and Education Studies, and the Director of the Center on Gender Equity and Health (GEH) at UC San Diego. Her research, including both epidemiologic and intervention studies, focuses on sexual and reproductive health, maternal and child health, and gender inequalities including gender-based violence. She has also conducted research on gender disparities in retention and advancement in academic medicine. Dr. Raj has over 200 peer-reviewed publications, and her work has been featured in major media outlets in the US, the UK, and in India. She has served as an advisor to UNICEF, the World Health Organization, and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and was invited to speak at the UN General Assembly on the issue of child marriage.