Support for sexual liberalization among ethnic majorities and minorities in Europe: The role of social norms in the public expression of opinions

In recent decades, the cultural differences between the ethnic majority and the ethnic minority populations have sparked public and political debates about the consequences of ethnic diversity for the cohesion of Western European societies. However, we currently know little about the extent to which these cultural differences between ethnic groups also translate into behavioral differences. Therefore, in order to improve our understanding of how ethnic diversity affects contemporary Western European societies, the present dissertation examines the extent to which, and under what conditions, ethnic minority and ethnic majority groups publicly express support for conservative and progressive group norms, and whether these public expressions also reflect their personal preferences. To study this, this dissertation focuses on a theme that has come to symbolize the contrast between the progressive national majority culture and the conservative ethnic minority culture in Western Europe: sexual liberalization

The motherhood wage gap and trade-offs between family and work: A test of compensating wage differentials

The theory of compensating wage differentials may explain part of the motherhood wage gap if mothers are more likely than childless women and men to make a trade-off between monetary and non-monetary rewards when looking for a job. Whereas previous studies focus primarily on jobs that employees currently hold, we present a more accurate test of this theory by studying the extent to which childless (wo)men, fathers and mothers trade off wages and family-friendly working conditions (flexibility, no overtime) in looking for a new job. Using a unique vignette experiment in four European countries (N = 7040), we find that the theory of compensating wage differentials is not supported. When presented with fictional job-openings that vary randomly on family-friendly working conditions and wages, mothers are not more likely than fathers or childless men and women to choose jobs with more family-friendly working conditions and lower pay. Instead, we find that mothers are more likely to apply for jobs with lower wages regardless of other job characteristics. These results suggest that the motherhood wage gap may not be explained by compensating wage differentials, but by mothers’ higher likelihood of applying for jobs with lower wages

The influence of group membership on online expressions and polarization on a discussion platform:An experimental study

Despite much attention for group polarization in online environments, little is known about how group membership affects online behavior. We designed an online platform where ethnic minority and majority users in the Netherlands participated in discussions about controversial topics (homosexuality and abortion). Participants were randomly assigned to either progressive, conservative, or mixed discussions on these topics, which were ostensibly held among ethnic minority or majority users. We find that when ethnic minority users are exposed to discussions among the ethnic majority (i.e., outgroup) with which they disagree, they are less likely to express their opinions and more likely to deviate from their personal opinions. Among ethnic majority users, we find the opposite: when confronted with a discussion among the ethnic minority with which they disagree, they are more likely to voice their opinion and less likely to deviate from their personal opinions. This shows that group membership can affect online polarization.</p

Attitudes towards homosexuality among ethnic majority and minority adolescents in Western Europe: The role of ethnic classroom composition

Ethnic minorities from more traditional countries tend to hold more conservative views towards homosexuality compared to the ethnic majority population in Western Europe. Assimilation theory predicts that this difference diminishes over time because of exposure and contact between these groups. The role of ethnic classroom composition in this process of cultural assimilation is poorly understood. Therefore, this article examines the role of the country of origin of adolescents and their classroom peers in the assimilation of attitudes towards homosexuality. Using two-wave panel data on 18,058 students in 867 classrooms in England, Germany, the Netherlands, and Sweden, we find that the attitudes towards homosexuality in classroom peers’ country of origin are positively associated with attitudes towards homosexuality of respondents in the first wave but have no effect on subsequent changes in these attitudes over a two-year period. We find some variations in this association according to individual-level characteristics, but these results are not consistent across the countries that we study. Together, these results suggest that the classroom is an important socializing context in the formation of cultural values, and that its influence is relatively uniform across groups

How do personal opinions relate to online expressions? An experimental study on an online discussion platform (replication package)

Replication package for the paper "How do personal opinions relate to online expressions? An experimental study on an online discussion platform

How do personal opinions relate to online expressions? An experimental study on an online discussion platform (replication package)

Replication package for the paper "How do personal opinions relate to online expressions? An experimental study on an online discussion platform