Migrant women's acculturation modes and attitudes toward women in home and host countries

This paper examines the influence of migrant women's acculturation modes on gender relationships, through the analysis of acculturation modes' impact on perceptions and attitudes toward women in host and home countries. Three studies, already carried out or underway, are conducted in order to analyze links between migrant women's acculturation modes (integration, assimilation, separation or marginalization according to the model of Berry, 2001) and attitudes toward women assessed through the ambivalent sexism inventory (ASI, Glick & Fiske, 1996), the social dominance orientation scale (SDO, Sidanius & Pratto, 1999) and a sympathy scale. These studies have been conducted in Romania and Benin, as emigration countries, and in France, as immigration country. Four descriptions of migrant women (corresponding to the acculturation modes mentioned above) are presented to participants. After reading the description (between-subjects), participants answer the three scales. Contrast analysis conducted on first results show that each dimension of acculturation seems to have its own influence on attitudes toward women. Thus – in home countries – the support of the culture of origin may strongly increase sympathy toward migrant women and decrease benevolent sexism ; the pre-eminence of one culture on the other may increase the rejection of social dominance ; eventually, adopting the host culture might increase hostile sexism. Complete results will be presented and implications will be discussed during the 2^nd ISA forum of Sociology. A discussion point will be the state of strain in which migrant women seem to be placed, expected to support the culture of origin for maintaining positive relationships with their home country but also to fully embrace the host culture in order not to be rejected. In such a situation, is the development of hybrids identities really possible? What kind of strategies can migrant women introduce in their struggle for recognition?