Content area
Full Text
Although much research has investigated predictors of homophobia in males, little attention has been given to the predictors of homophobia in females. The current study investigated how self esteem, self discrepancy (how much females think they fit others' expectations of how they should act with respect to gender-stereotyped attributes), and gender-attribute importance (how important gender stereotypes are to their gender identity) related to homophobia in 71 primarily White and middle-class college women. Other predictors evaluated were gender role attitudes, authoritarian attitudes, and extent of contact with lesbians and gay men. Results indicated that unlike for college men, self discrepancy did not correlate with attitudes toward lesbians. The highest correlations with homophobia for college women were authoritarian attitudes, belief in sex role egalitarianism, degree of contact with gay men and lesbians, and importance of feminine attributes to participant's femininity. The only significant predictor, however, was authoritarian attitudes, which accounted for 62% of the variance.
Numerous research studies have investigated negative attitudes toward homosexuals. Among the most common correlates of homophobia are authoritarianism, traditional gender role attitudes, religiosity, and extent of contact with homosexuals (Herek, 1988; Lance, 1987; Newmann, 1989; Whitley & Lee, 2000). However, most of the research has focused on males' attitudes toward homosexuals, usually explicitly or implicitly toward gay men. Research that has examined attitudes toward gay men and lesbians separately has found that men's attitudes toward gay men are more negative than men's attitudes toward lesbians, while women's attitudes are equal toward both groups of homosexuals (Kite & Whitley,1998). However, little attention has been given to female homophobia except that it seems to be less intense than men's homophobia (Herek, 1988; Herek & Glunt, 1993; Kite & Whitley, 1998). The present study focuses specifically on predictors of female attitudes toward lesbians.
Although research has found that various types of prejudice share some similar correlates (for example, Social Dominance Orientation; Whitley, 1999), homophobia appears to have some unique predictors. This may be because gay men and lesbians are still, for the most part, a socially acceptable outgroup. In addition, homosexuals appear to threaten traditional family and gender-role values more than, say, African Americans. Thus rightwing authoritarianism has been found to be particularly predictive of negative attitudes toward homosexuals (Altemeyer, 1996; Herek, 1988; Whitley,...