Gender Role Beliefs and Ontologization of Mothers: A Moderated Mediation Analysis

Abstract

This study combines insights from gender studies and studies on dehumanization to show how gender role beliefs influence attitudes and the attribution of ontologization traits to mothers. A convenience sample of 194 Italian participants read one of three vignettes describing a mother (a heterosexual biological mother, a heterosexual stepmother, or a lesbian stepmother) and her five-year-old son during a moment of disagreement. Participants assessed the depicted mother’s competence and attributed ontologization traits (human and animal traits) to the same mother. Focal differences were found in the perception of competence that was attributed more to the heterosexual biological mother than to the other targets. A full ontologization process was not observed. However, differences were found in the attribution of animal traits, which were attributed more to the depicted heterosexual stepmother than to the other ones. Moderated mediation analyses also showed that participants endorsing moderate and high levels of traditional gender role beliefs rated the heterosexual stepmother as being less competent compared with the heterosexual biological mother by animalizing her. Gendered expectations concerning mothers’ role and parenting can create multiple barriers for women who are—or intend to be—mothers. Attitudinal change should be fostered so that all mothers’ identities and experiences are fully accepted.

Factors Associated with Parenting Adaptability in Facing the First COVID-19 Lockdown: A Study on Portuguese Parents

“…Furthermore, participants did not represent the Portuguese population and generalization of the results is limited. Most participants were mothers, and their expectancies and attitudes facing motherhood, which were not measured, could influence the personal perceptions of changes and, consequently, the mediation model [30]. Also, at-risk families were not frequent or other specific groups such as single mothers and parenting dimensions such as coparenting can differ according to diverse family structures [31].…”

Paid Parental Leave in Correlation with Changing Gender Role Attitudes

“…Hence, as family research scholars have shown, an intensive parenting culture can affect couples' work-care arrange-ments (Faircloth 2021a(Faircloth , 2021bTwamley et al 2021). Moreover, scholars have explored the ontologization of the mother figure (Di Battista 2023). These authors have pointed to the different perceptions of biological mothers, lesbian co-mothers, and step-mothers.…”