The Relationship of Ambivalent Sexism With Perceived Intergroup Threat Against Migrants of the Host Society by the Example of Russian Citizens

Due to the increasing flow of migrants in the Russian Federation, it is important to understand what factors influence the attitudes towards migrants among the host society. However, some factors are not investigated properly. This study suggests one of the factors can be the gender of the migrant and the perception of this sex by the members of the host society. The study is based on the theory of ambivalent sexism by P. Glick S. Fiske and the theory of intergroup threats by K. Stephan and U. Stephan. The aim of the study is to identify the relationship between ambivalent sexism, perceived intergroup threats, and attitudes towards migrants of different ethnic groups and genders among members of the host society of the Russian Federation. It was assumed that ambivalent attitudes toward the sexes would affect the perceived threat; several hypotheses were formulated. The study involved 256 people (176 women and 80 men). They filled in the intergroup anxiety instrument, the ambivalent sexism scale, ambivalence towards men inventory, attitude towards migrants scale by J. Berry. The obtained results partially confirmed the set hypotheses. Ambivalent attitudes affect the threat to migrants of different genders. There are also differences between the effects of ambivalent sexism among migrants belonging to different ethnic groups. It is important to note that a small amount of research considers intergroup relations in the context of relations between the sexes. In this regard, the results may be of interest to psychologists who study intergroup relations and gender relations in a multicultural context, as well as to professionals who work with migrants and are engaged in their adaptation in the Russian Federation.