THE INFLUENCE OF THE NEED FOR COGNITIVE CLOSURE ON ADHERENCE TO GENDER ROLE IDEOLOGY

Abstract

In the 21st century, gender inequalities continue to exist, mainly due to the social construction of gender stereotypes. A psychological theory that allows understanding such stereotypes is the Need for Cognitive Closure. Therefore, the aim of this research is to analyze the relationship between the Need for Cognitive Closure, understood as the subject's motivation to seek and maintain a response to an ambiguous situation, and Gender Role Ideology, which refers to a prejudiced attitude based on the supposed inferiority of women. For this purpose, a non-probabilistic sample of 401 individuals over 18 years old living in Argentina, 290 women and 111 men, was used. The Revised Cognitive Closure Need Test, the Gender Role Ideology Scale and a sociodemographic questionnaire were administered. The results showed a positive correlation between Cognitive Closure Need and Gender Role Ideology. In addition, a direct association was found between age and Gender Role Ideology. An inverse relationship was also found between educational level, Cognitive Closure Need and Gender Role Ideology. Finally, Gender Role Ideology presented disparity with respect to gender, where men showed higher ranks than women. It is concluded that individuals with greater discomfort with ambiguity, narrow-mindedness and urgency for closure have greater adherence to ideologies that support gender difference.

Keywords

• necesidad de cierre cognitivo
• ideología de rol de género
• desigualdad de género