TY  - CONF
AU  - Čavlin, Elena
AU  - Jakšić, Ivana M.
PY  - 2023
UR  - http://rfpn.fpn.bg.ac.rs/handle/123456789/1065
AB  - Recent legislative efforts to introduce obligatory use of the gender fair language (GFL) in
research, education and media in Serbia received considerable resistance from the public. In
line with System justification theory (SJT), we hypothesize that GFL is perceived as an
intergroup status threat, which activates motivated defensive mechanism that rationalizes the
legitimacy of gender relations status quo and justifies linguistic gender discrimination. Because
the recognition of an unprivileged status within the system can be threatening to self-esteem,
within the SJT framework members of underprivileged groups can also be motivated to engage
in system justification. In an online sample of 449 participants (55% female) we applied a 29
item scale measuring the acceptance of various critical arguments against the GFL and a scale
measuring the frequency of GFL use (ranging from Never to Always). The arguments against
GFL were identified within the previous studies, public narrative around the GFL in Serbia and
within the qualitative pilot study in a student sample (N = 80). EFA revealed that critical
arguments against GFL can be described by three latent variables: 1) perceiving GFL as a threat
to national identity, Serbian language and men, 2) defending linguistic status quo and rejecting
the effectiveness of GFL, 3) rejection of the GFL due to linguistic barriers and habits. All three
factors independently negatively predict the use of GFL: threat perceptions account for 48% of
the variance in use, defending linguistic status quo accounts for 7% variance, while language
barriers and habits explain 4%. Through moderated mediational analyses we tested whether the
rejection of GFL use among men and women can be predicted by perceiving GFL as a threat
and mediated through status quo arguments. Previously described factors were used as the
predictor and the mediator in the analyses. The negative effect of threat perception on GFL use
was mediated through status quo arguments, and the mediation effect was stronger among
women (Direct effect: B = -.47, p < .01, CI: -.62 to -.33; Indirect effect in men: B = -.31, p <
.01, CI: -.41 to -.22; Indirect effect in women: B = -.43, p < .01, CI: -.56 to -.30). While threat
perceptions are higher in men, women rationalize their rejection of GFL significantly more by
defending the linguistic status quo. Different forms of resistance to GFL can be traced back to
intergroup threat perception and mapped onto system justification beliefs.
PB  - Institute of Psychology
PB  - Laboratory for Experimental Psychology
PB  - Belgrade : Faculty of Philosophy University of Belgrade
C3  - XXIX Scientific Conference Empirical Studies in Psychology
T1  - Understanding Resistance Against Gender Fair Language: A System Justification Perspective
EP  - 90
SP  - 90
UR  - https://hdl.handle.net/21.15107/rcub_rfpn_1065
ER  - 

@conference{
author = "Čavlin, Elena and Jakšić, Ivana M.",
year = "2023",
abstract = "Recent legislative efforts to introduce obligatory use of the gender fair language (GFL) in
research, education and media in Serbia received considerable resistance from the public. In
line with System justification theory (SJT), we hypothesize that GFL is perceived as an
intergroup status threat, which activates motivated defensive mechanism that rationalizes the
legitimacy of gender relations status quo and justifies linguistic gender discrimination. Because
the recognition of an unprivileged status within the system can be threatening to self-esteem,
within the SJT framework members of underprivileged groups can also be motivated to engage
in system justification. In an online sample of 449 participants (55% female) we applied a 29
item scale measuring the acceptance of various critical arguments against the GFL and a scale
measuring the frequency of GFL use (ranging from Never to Always). The arguments against
GFL were identified within the previous studies, public narrative around the GFL in Serbia and
within the qualitative pilot study in a student sample (N = 80). EFA revealed that critical
arguments against GFL can be described by three latent variables: 1) perceiving GFL as a threat
to national identity, Serbian language and men, 2) defending linguistic status quo and rejecting
the effectiveness of GFL, 3) rejection of the GFL due to linguistic barriers and habits. All three
factors independently negatively predict the use of GFL: threat perceptions account for 48% of
the variance in use, defending linguistic status quo accounts for 7% variance, while language
barriers and habits explain 4%. Through moderated mediational analyses we tested whether the
rejection of GFL use among men and women can be predicted by perceiving GFL as a threat
and mediated through status quo arguments. Previously described factors were used as the
predictor and the mediator in the analyses. The negative effect of threat perception on GFL use
was mediated through status quo arguments, and the mediation effect was stronger among
women (Direct effect: B = -.47, p < .01, CI: -.62 to -.33; Indirect effect in men: B = -.31, p <
.01, CI: -.41 to -.22; Indirect effect in women: B = -.43, p < .01, CI: -.56 to -.30). While threat
perceptions are higher in men, women rationalize their rejection of GFL significantly more by
defending the linguistic status quo. Different forms of resistance to GFL can be traced back to
intergroup threat perception and mapped onto system justification beliefs.",
publisher = "Institute of Psychology, Laboratory for Experimental Psychology, Belgrade : Faculty of Philosophy University of Belgrade",
journal = "XXIX Scientific Conference Empirical Studies in Psychology",
title = "Understanding Resistance Against Gender Fair Language: A System Justification Perspective",
pages = "90-90",
url = "https://hdl.handle.net/21.15107/rcub_rfpn_1065"
}

Čavlin, E.,& Jakšić, I. M.. (2023). Understanding Resistance Against Gender Fair Language: A System Justification Perspective. in XXIX Scientific Conference Empirical Studies in Psychology
Institute of Psychology., 90-90.
https://hdl.handle.net/21.15107/rcub_rfpn_1065

Čavlin E, Jakšić IM. Understanding Resistance Against Gender Fair Language: A System Justification Perspective. in XXIX Scientific Conference Empirical Studies in Psychology. 2023;:90-90.
https://hdl.handle.net/21.15107/rcub_rfpn_1065 .

Čavlin, Elena, Jakšić, Ivana M., "Understanding Resistance Against Gender Fair Language: A System Justification Perspective" in XXIX Scientific Conference Empirical Studies in Psychology (2023):90-90,
https://hdl.handle.net/21.15107/rcub_rfpn_1065 .