Are They Acculturating? Europe's Immigrants and Gender Egalitarianism

Asubstantial share of Europe's population consists of immigrants and the children of immigrants. Using European Social Survey data, this study examines whether the gender-egalitarian values of immigrants are shaped by the gender relations in their origin country and whether they adapt their values to the standards of their residence country. The analyses show that immigrants originating from countries with very inegalitarian gender relations support gender equality less than members of mainstream society. However, immigrants adapt their gender ideology to the standards of their residence country, and the origin context loses force overtime. Both acculturation within the first generation and acculturation across the generations play a role; but women tend to "assimilate" within the first generation and more thoroughly than men.