Discrimination at School is Positively Linked to Support for Gender Inequality in Male Refugee Students

• In Event: Gender, Race, and Movement: Multi-age Youth Crossing Borders and Divides

Abstract

An influx of male refugee youth into Germany has prompted increased support for far-right groups portraying them as threats to both democracy and young women. Understanding how discrimination affects these refugees is therefore important. Social Identity Theory proposes that discrimination threatens one’s self-esteem. To address this threat, individuals can recategorize their ingroup (e.g., refugee becomes male refugee) to differentiate themselves from “lower status” others (e.g., female refugees) and make favorable social comparisons. We hypothesize that the more discrimination male refugee students experience at school, the more they will support a patriarchal system. Our findings, based on data from 1,112 refugee students living in Germany, highlight the complex associations between students’ discrimination, gender, and support for traditional gender norms.

Authors

• Benjamin Korman, Leibniz Institute for Educational Trajectories

• Sophie Moser, University of Konstanz