From the Mind, Brain, and Behavior Research Center at the University of Granada, researchers Sofía Schwartz-Salazar, Rocío Martínez, and Rosa Rodríguez-Bailón, in collaboration with researcher Efraín García Sánchez (Stanford University), have developed a new psychosocial instrument to assess the perception of gender inequality, called MuGIPS (Multidimensional Gender Inequality Perception Scale).
Inequalities between men and women in numerous areas of daily life persist, as indicated by national and international organizations such as the UN and the European Institute for Gender Equality. Women experience more inequalities and violence in different contexts and situations. In addition to gender violence indices, 11 women have been murdered by their partners or ex-partners in Spain so far in 2024, according to data from the Ministry of Equality, and 1255 since 2003. In the labor sector, women have less access to jobs, worse working conditions, lower pay, and fewer positions of responsibility. Additionally, official sources report that 12.1% of women have experienced workplace sexual harassment. In other areas, such as healthcare, it is common for clinical drug trials to exclude women, leaving the effects of various medications on them unknown, or for significant pathologies in women to be underdiagnosed. In the personal sphere, inequality is also present in caregiving, as women are primarily responsible for caring for children and dependents in the family.
Therefore, the Laboratory of Social Psychology of Inequality (https://wwwlocal.ugr.es/~psidesigualdad/) developed this instrument to analyze the extent to which people perceive inequalities between men and women. MuGIPS is a multidimensional scale that covers key areas where gender inequality is observed, including health, violence, domestic and caregiving, and public and representation (including education, paid work and economy, and power and representation). With 25 items, it provides a reliable tool to measure the levels of gender inequality perceived by the population in Spain in the aforementioned areas.
During the development and validation of this scale, its relationship with other constructs associated with reducing gender inequality was explored. The results indicate that people who identify more with feminism and have more feminist beliefs and fewer sexist beliefs perceive more gender inequality. Additionally, perceiving gender inequality is related to greater support for collective actions seeking to reduce gender inequality (demonstrations, strikes, voting for political parties, etc.) and measures aimed at closing the gender gap, such as encouraging women to join the labor market.
These findings underline the importance of understanding perceptions of gender inequality, as these influence attitudes toward its reduction. They also reveal the need to intervene in various areas where this inequality manifests, which can improve awareness strategies and support for specific measures to mitigate it.
Full reference:
Schwartz-Salazar, S., García-Sánchez, E., Martínez, R., & Rodríguez-Bailón, R. (2024). Development and validation of the Multidimensional Gender Inequality Perception Scale (MuGIPS). PLOS ONE, 19(4), e0301755. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0301755
Contact Researchers:
Sofía Schwartz-Salazar (schwartzsalazar@ugr.es)
Efraín García-Sánchez (egarcias@stanford.edu)
Rocío Martínez (mrocio@ugr.es)
Rosa Rodríguez-Bailón (rrbailon@ugr.es)