Which social contacts with natives matter? Attitudes towards gender roles of Muslim immigrants and their children in Western Europe

Abstract

AbstractSocial contacts with mainstream individuals play a central role in acculturation. Yet, research has paid little attention to examining whether social contact with natives is linked to egalitarian gender role attitudes among Muslim immigrants and their children. Using a unique data set including 4584 Muslim immigrants and the second generation in six western European countries (EURISLAM), the study investigates whether public‐ and private‐sphere social contacts with natives are associated with attitudes towards women's employment and men's domestic roles. The findings show that immigrants and their children who report stronger private‐sphere social ties, that is native friends and family members, hold more egalitarian attitudes towards women's employment and men's domestic roles. However, public‐sphere social contacts (at the workplace and in the neighbourhood) are not associated with these attitudes. These results support theories stating that private‐sphere social contact with natives is important in gender role ideology acculturation among Muslim families.