Psychological inertia in adolescence: Sexist attitudes and cognitive and social strategies that hinder gender equality

Abstract

This work analyses sexist attitudes, cognitive strategies and social attitudes in young people between 12 and 16 years of age, attending secondary education. The objective is to identify the psychological inertia that hinders a change in the behaviour patterns of young people who discriminate against women. We explore the presence of significant differences in the variables under study according to gender; we analyze the relationship between sexist attitudes and cognitive and social strategies; and we explore whether the variable, “gender”, can predict cognitive and social strategies and attitudes that impede the shift towards a more egalitarian treatment of women. We analyze sexist attitudes and cognitive and social strategies that encourage the inertia of psychological inaction in 1034 high school students. Two instruments were used to evaluate the variables under study: 1. ISA-Adolescents. Inventory of Ambivalent Sexism for Adolescents; 2. AECS. Questionnaire on Social Cognitive Strategies and Attitudes. The results show that these young people do not present cognitive and social strategies that make such change difficult. We verify that men do have sexist attitudes to a greater extent than women, and we show that gender can predict the psychological inertia that makes the change in sexist behaviour patterns more difficult. In the same way, we have observed significant correlations between the variables under study. This work stresses the need to incorporate educational measures that favour an egalitarian, cognitive and socio-emotional development in both regulated education and alternative educational programmes.