Attitudes toward “Non-Traditional” Mothers: Examining the Antecedents of Mothers’ Competence Perceptions
Mothers are the protagonists in a widespread narrative that emphasizes motherhood as prolonged and exclusive attention to children, accompanied by references to natural competence in child-rearing skills. The present research aimed to investigate the linking mechanisms and conditional processes unde...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2022-10-01
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| Series: | Social Sciences |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0760/11/11/495 |
| _version_ | 1797466469591678976 |
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| author | Silvia Di Battista Marco Salvati Irem Ertan Monica Pivetti |
| author_facet | Silvia Di Battista Marco Salvati Irem Ertan Monica Pivetti |
| author_sort | Silvia Di Battista |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Mothers are the protagonists in a widespread narrative that emphasizes motherhood as prolonged and exclusive attention to children, accompanied by references to natural competence in child-rearing skills. The present research aimed to investigate the linking mechanisms and conditional processes underlying the perception of mothers’ competence. Cisgender heterosexual Italian participants (<i>N</i> = 230) read one of four vignettes describing a situation in which a mother (i.e., heterosexual biological mother, heterosexual stepmothers, lesbian stepmother, and lesbian biological mother) interacts with her two children who had misbehaved. After reading the vignette, the participants rated the depicted mother’s competence and to what extent the children’s misbehaviour was attributable to the mother. Moderated-mediation analyses indicated that all the non-traditional mothers were perceived as being less competent compared to the heterosexual biological mother, by giving them greater responsibility for their children’s misbehaviour, among participants with medium–high levels of traditional gender-role beliefs. Sexual orientation and biology relatedness were not cumulative variables, but intersecting categories creating a unique way to perceive mothers. As the number of non-traditional families grows, negative societal attitudes toward non-traditional parents and their children should be increasingly considered. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T18:39:21Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-a39c4ed5e16a4922a927932b8e6dd703 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2076-0760 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T18:39:21Z |
| publishDate | 2022-10-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Social Sciences |
| spelling | doaj.art-a39c4ed5e16a4922a927932b8e6dd7032023-11-24T06:51:06ZengMDPI AGSocial Sciences2076-07602022-10-01111149510.3390/socsci11110495Attitudes toward “Non-Traditional” Mothers: Examining the Antecedents of Mothers’ Competence PerceptionsSilvia Di Battista0Marco Salvati1Irem Ertan2Monica Pivetti3Department of Human and Social Sciences, University of Bergamo, 24129 Bergamo, ItalyDepartment of Human Sciences, University of Verona, 37129 Verona, ItalyDepartment of Human and Social Sciences, University of Bergamo, 24129 Bergamo, ItalyDepartment of Human and Social Sciences, University of Bergamo, 24129 Bergamo, ItalyMothers are the protagonists in a widespread narrative that emphasizes motherhood as prolonged and exclusive attention to children, accompanied by references to natural competence in child-rearing skills. The present research aimed to investigate the linking mechanisms and conditional processes underlying the perception of mothers’ competence. Cisgender heterosexual Italian participants (<i>N</i> = 230) read one of four vignettes describing a situation in which a mother (i.e., heterosexual biological mother, heterosexual stepmothers, lesbian stepmother, and lesbian biological mother) interacts with her two children who had misbehaved. After reading the vignette, the participants rated the depicted mother’s competence and to what extent the children’s misbehaviour was attributable to the mother. Moderated-mediation analyses indicated that all the non-traditional mothers were perceived as being less competent compared to the heterosexual biological mother, by giving them greater responsibility for their children’s misbehaviour, among participants with medium–high levels of traditional gender-role beliefs. Sexual orientation and biology relatedness were not cumulative variables, but intersecting categories creating a unique way to perceive mothers. As the number of non-traditional families grows, negative societal attitudes toward non-traditional parents and their children should be increasingly considered.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0760/11/11/495attitudesgender role beliefsmotherhoodmotherssexual prejudice |
| spellingShingle | Silvia Di Battista Marco Salvati Irem Ertan Monica Pivetti Attitudes toward “Non-Traditional” Mothers: Examining the Antecedents of Mothers’ Competence Perceptions Social Sciences attitudes gender role beliefs motherhood mothers sexual prejudice |
| title | Attitudes toward “Non-Traditional” Mothers: Examining the Antecedents of Mothers’ Competence Perceptions |
| title_full | Attitudes toward “Non-Traditional” Mothers: Examining the Antecedents of Mothers’ Competence Perceptions |
| title_fullStr | Attitudes toward “Non-Traditional” Mothers: Examining the Antecedents of Mothers’ Competence Perceptions |
| title_full_unstemmed | Attitudes toward “Non-Traditional” Mothers: Examining the Antecedents of Mothers’ Competence Perceptions |
| title_short | Attitudes toward “Non-Traditional” Mothers: Examining the Antecedents of Mothers’ Competence Perceptions |
| title_sort | attitudes toward non traditional mothers examining the antecedents of mothers competence perceptions |
| topic | attitudes gender role beliefs motherhood mothers sexual prejudice |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0760/11/11/495 |
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