A Longitudinal Test of Ambivalent Sexism on Support for Elective and Traumatic Abortion and the Mediating Role of Attitudes Toward Motherhood

Abstract

This thesis extends previous research on the role of ambivalent sexism in predicting support for traumatic and elective abortion by examining this relationship longitudinally. Study 1 used data from a national probability panel sample of New Zealanders (N = 12,299) to examine this relationship. Benevolent sexism (but not hostile sexism) exerted a cross-lagged effect on opposition to both traumatic and elective abortion over a one year period, suggesting that BS has a causal impact on opposition to both types of abortion. Study 2 builds on these findings by using data from an undergraduate sample (N = 309) to investigate the mediating role of attitudes toward motherhood in the link between ambivalent sexism and opposition toward abortion. Beliefs about the importance of motherhood fully mediated the relationships both BS and HS had with support for traumatic and elective abortion. These results highlight the pernicious nature of BS whereby the role of motherhood is cherished, which ultimately undermines women’s reproductive rights. Keywords: benevolent sexism, motherhood, traumatic abortion, elective abortion, longitudinal