Societal gender role norms play a crucial role in shaping men's and women's career aspirations. However, prior research documenting this key role of gendered norms has primarily focused on heterosexual women and men in the global North-West. Previous studies documenting differences in career interests by sexual orientation suggest that gender role norms might affect lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) women and men less strongly than heterosexuals. This large-scale, preregistered study sought to document group differences in norm perceptions, career interests and their relationship. To this end, 18,351 university students (n = 3318 LGB, n = 15,033 heterosexual) from 46 countries completed a self-report survey about their gender, sexual orientation, perceptions of societal gender role norms, as well as their personal gender role beliefs and career interests. Analyses revealed that, compared to heterosexual individuals, LGB individuals reported significantly less stereotypical career interests and endorsed less traditional gender role beliefs about careers. As predicted, perceptions of societal gender role norms predicted career interests for heterosexual but not for LGB participants. Moreover, LGB participants showed a weaker relationship between societal gender role norms and own gender role beliefs than straight participants did. Interestingly, we found no evidence that this effect was conditional on the level of LGBT acceptance in different countries sampled. We discuss implications of this new evidence for understanding occupational gender segregation from an intersectional perspective.

Intergroup attitudes can be positively influenced by peers, but it remains unclear whether this occurs primarily through ingroup socialization or outgroup contact. Prior studies concurrently exploring both pathways have yielded mixed results. This paper introduces two key factors, ingroup identification and interpersonal dislike, as potentially moderating or counteracting the effects of these processes. We incorporate these factors into a comprehensive statistical model that accounts for various mechanisms associated with outgroup attitude change, including peer influence, ingroup and outgroup contact, ethnic and attitudinal homophily in friendship selection, and general relationship formation dynamics. Using stochastic actor-oriented modeling (SAOM), we analyze longitudinal data on coevolving networks and attitudes among 380 German secondary school adolescents. Our findings show that both outgroup contact among German adolescents and ingroup socialization significantly influence outgroup attitude change. However, interpersonal dislike and ingroup identification do not play a meaningful role in these processes.

Despite the growing demand for care economy employees (e.g., nurses, teachers, and social workers), men remain underrepresented in these careers. While economically developed countries support more equal rights for women and men, their labor markets are highly gender segregated (Charles, 1992, 2003). We conducted a focused investigation of this paradoxical pattern in the care economy, testing whether gender gaps in care economy career interest are larger in more economically developed countries and, if so, what psychological and cultural factors underlie these patterns. We examined these questions with labor data from 70 countries (Study 1) and a preregistered study of career interests among 19,240 university students from 49 countries (Study 2). Although more economically developed countries tend to promote greater gender equality, our results reveal that the gender gap in care economy representation (Study 1) and interest (Study 2) is especially large in such countries. We did not observe parallel patterns for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics representation or interest. Results from Study 2 supported an integrated theoretical account of this development paradox in care economy interest: Cross-national variation in the gender gap in care economy interest was predicted by country-level variation in economic development and individualism/collectivism but not by self-expression values or country-level gender equality, countering prior (controversial) claims of a gender equality paradox. Furthermore, larger gender gaps in communal values (e.g., men's lower valuing of helping and caring for others) were a proximal predictor of larger gender gaps in care economy interest in highly economically developed countries. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).

Abstract: Language proficiency and contact with host society members are crucial for migrant newcomer integration. We investigated how positive intergroup contact with one language buddy may facilitate the integration of newcomers. One hundred nineteen newcomers who participated in Kletsmaatjes, a Dutch online language buddy program, participated in a correlational study. Regression analyses (plus path analysis) showed that more positive contact (enjoyment, self-disclosure, respect) with a language buddy was significantly linked to newcomers' integration outcomes (cultural learning, sense of belonging). Interestingly, self-disclosure and enjoyment were most strongly linked to cultural learning, while respect was most strongly linked to belonging. Thematic coding offered insights into buddies' interactions corroborating the quantitative insights. We discuss how a language buddy can be a stepping stone into a new society.

ObjectivesPsychological distress is an unpleasant state with both emotional and psychological manifestations. Migrants are prone to facing psychological distress. Previous research investigated the risk factors migrants face when integrating in a new society. However, little attention was paid to the role of experienced fear. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the prevalence of psychological distress of migrants and its link with the number of situations migrants may have experienced fear during and after the migration journey in addition to previously identified risk factors among migrants in Spain.Methods381 migrants from different nations participated in a correlational study. Besides demographic information, we assessed four self-reported risk factors (immigration status, employment, social network, and Spanish proficiency). The relevant number of situations in which migrants experienced fear was assessed with four items (sum score) and psychological distress with the K10 Kessler Psychological Distress Scale. Important to note, the K10 did not include items assessing fear.Results31.3% of migrants experienced severe levels of psychological distress. Three risk factors (immigration status, employment, and social network) and the sum score of fear-experienced situations correlated with psychological distress. A step-wise regression analysis (based on 10,000 Bootstrap samples) accounts for 15% of the variance in psychological distress, suggesting that (1) age (but not gender), (2) none of the risk factors, but (3) the sum score of fear-experienced situations showed a significant effect on psychological distress. Importantly, we assessed the amount of fear triggering situations migrants may have experienced (in contrast to general anxiety which is often measured and included in psychological distress scales).ConclusionsThe current study provides first evidence that various situations in which migrants experienced fear during and after their journey to Spain were associated with higher levels of psychological distress; more strongly than previously studied risk factors. We discuss the importance of differentiating between past fear to prevent trauma and current fear (e.g., of mafias and of feeling sick) in reception centers to help migrants navigate the new cultural context. Focusing on the mental health needs of migrants after arrival could be a promising first step to stimulate integration more sustainably.

Interdisciplinary Group Work (IGW) is increasingly being adopted in higher education settings to foster interdisciplinary competencies among students. The effectiveness of IGW hinges largely on the quality of student interactions across different disciplines. Understanding how students interact in IGW, along with the role of institutions and educators in facilitating such interaction, is crucial for enhancing interdisciplinary education quality. This study responds to the need for integrated research that considers both individual and environmental factors, employing Expectancy-Value Theory to assess perceived task value and constructing the notion of perceived teacher-initiated diversity climate as an environmental factor. It specifically examines the interactive influence of perceived benefits and costs on interdisciplinary interactions within group work and examines the impacts of perceived teacher-initiated diversity climate in boosting student’s perceptions and interactions in IGW contexts. Data collected from 108 third-year undergraduate students participating in team-based interdisciplinary programs reveals that positive perceptions of diversity significantly enhance interdisciplinary interactions, while perceived costs detract from them. It also shows that the challenges of interdisciplinarity do not substantially diminish students’ willingness to learn from various disciplinary perspectives. Importantly, perceived teacher-initiated diversity climate is related to greater positive perceptions in IGW, thereby improving interdisciplinary interaction. The paper concludes with suggestions for teachers and educational institutions on optimizing interdisciplinary education.

This study investigates the dynamics between perceived cultural distance (PCD), cultural intelligence (CQ), and international students’ sociocultural, psychological, and academic adjustment. It examines whether CQ (its total score and four sub-components separately from the total CQ) moderates the relationship between PCD and adjustment. By investigating all three dimensions of students’ adjustment, and also distinguishing the four aspects of the CQ, it provides an especially fine-grained analysis of the link between PCD, CQ and international students’ adjustment. In a cross-sectional study, 341 international college students from several universities in the Netherlands participated in an online survey. Moderation analysis (Hayes Process Macro) indicated that overall CQ and motivational CQ moderated only the relationship between PCD and sociocultural adjustment. Further analysis show that when age, gender, level of study, and region of origin controlled, PCD consistently predicted all aspects of students' adjustment negatively. Overall CQ predicted only sociocultural and academic adjusment, but motivational CQ influenced all aspects of adjustment. Together, these results provide an insightful understanding of the role of international students' CQ in their adjustment in the face of cultural differences.

Women's perspective is mostly neglected in masculinity studies; moreover, there is still a strong need to better understand culturally diverse perceptions of masculinity. This qualitative study aims to identify definitions, antecedents, and consequences of new masculinities by focusing solely on women's perception of masculinities. Focusing on a Turkish sample, where traditional masculinity is still prevalent but also widely contested by women, this study provides a fascinating cultural context to examine how new forms of masculinities emerge. Accordingly, semistructured interviews with 13 women (Mage = 28.8) were conducted in Turkey. The interviews took place between February and May 2019. The interviews inquired about the interviewees' perceptions, expectations, and ideals concerning male identity. The respondents were also asked to assess social norms related to these topics, including society's "must-have" expectations for men and its definition of a "real man." The interview data were analyzed using thematic analysis, identifying four main themes: perceptions of Turkish masculinities, expectations and responsibilities, women's perspectives challenging traditional norms, and comprehension of new masculinities. The results indicate a gradual erosion of traditional masculinity traits and the rise of new forms emphasizing emotional openness and shared responsibilities. The women shared their perspectives on masculinity and blamed society for societal expectations that put pressure on men. With its unique sample and methodological approach, this study offers a fresh perspective on masculinity studies by including women's perspective on traditional masculinities and new masculinities from a non-Western, educated, industrialized, rich, and democratic cultural context.

In the present work, we addressed the relationship between parental leave policies and social norms. Using a pre-registered, cross-national approach, we examined the relationship between parental leave policies and the perception of social norms for the gender division of childcare. In this study, 19,259 students (11,924 women) from 48 countries indicated the degree to which they believe childcare is (descriptive norm) and should be (prescriptive norm) equally divided among mothers and fathers. Policies were primarily operationalized as the existence of parental leave options in the respective country. The descriptive and prescriptive norms of equal division of childcare were stronger when parental leave was available in a country - also when controlling for potential confounding variables. Moreover, analyses of time since policy change suggested that policy change may initially affect prescriptive norms and then descriptive norms at a later point. However, due to the cross-sectional nature of the data, drawing causal inferences is difficult.

Despite global commitments and efforts, a gender-based division of paid and unpaid work persists. To identify how psychological factors, national policies, and the broader sociocultural context contribute to this inequality, we assessed parental-leave intentions in young adults (18-30years old) planning to have children (N = 13,942; 8,880 identified as women; 5,062 identified as men) across 37 countries that varied in parental-leave policies and societal gender equality. In all countries, women intended to take longer leave than men. National parental-leave policies and women's political representation partially explained cross-national variations in the gender gap. Gender gaps in leave intentions were paradoxically larger in countries with more gender-egalitarian parental-leave policies (i.e., longer leave available to both fathers and mothers). Interestingly, this cross-national variation in the gender gap was driven by cross-national variations in women's (rather than men's) leave intentions. Financially generous leave and gender-egalitarian policies (linked to men's higher uptake in prior research) were not associated with leave intentions in men. Rather, men's leave intentions were related to their individual gender attitudes. Leave intentions were inversely related to career ambitions. The potential for existing policies to foster gender equality in paid and unpaid work is discussed.

To understand under what conditions intercultural group work (IGW) leads to more intercultural interactions, a survey was conducted among local students (n = 80) and international students (n = 153) in Dutch universities. In this study, students were more inclined to engage in intercultural interactions when they perceived that working with culturally diverse others prepared them to work and live in a diverse setting. The positive association was strengthened when students perceived that diversity, in terms of nationality within their work group, was also beneficial for accomplishing their group task. The findings demonstrate the significance of students' perceptions of IGW, including the perceived general value for personal development and intellectual benefits related to specific tasks. This implies that institutions and teachers could be made responsible for engaging with innovative educational methods to address and incorporate student diversity into curriculum.

Despite years of investigation on international students’ adjustment, cultural distance and cultural intelligence, the definitions of and the relationship between these concepts are not yet sufficiently well established. This article further explores the three concepts and their possible interrelations. We propose a hypothesized model that considers subjectively perceived cultural distance (PCD) a variable of specific importance, and wherein we assume that the relationship between PCD and international students’ adjustment is moderated by students’ cultural intelligence (CQ). Our model aims to better explain the dynamics between these variables; it posits that students’ CQ level will affect whether and how PCD may influence international students’ psychological, sociocultural and academic adjustment in the host country. Consequently, the model offers several implications for future research and possible interventions to support international students’ adjustment in higher education.

This study aimed to investigate the impact of two kinds of exposure to the international environment on international students’ cultural intelligence (CQ). We examined whether students who had the experience of living abroad for a minimum period of six months or those who had participated in international education would have higher CQ than their fellow students who did not have such experiences. An online survey measured the CQ of 359 degree-seeking college students from Indonesia in several countries with CQS (Cultural Intelligence Scale). T-test analysis was conducted to compare the CQ scores between students with different experiences of international exposure. Pearson product-moment and one-way ANOVA analyses were also performed to examine the relationship of CQ with age and level of education. The results indicated no significant difference in CQ between students based on their prior experience living abroad or participating in international education. However, students who had lived abroad before scored higher on CQ's metacognitive and motivational aspects. Older students and students in higher levels of education also showed higher CQ scores. These results provide further discussion on the impact of exposure to the international environment on students' CQ. Some types of exposure to international environment appears to assist the development of some aspects of the CQ of international students. However, the extent of the effects might further depend on other factors. Furthermore, the results also suggested that more agencies could act as alternatives strategies to develop students’ intercultural competencies.

What role does intergroup contact play in promoting support for social change toward greater social equality? Drawing on the needs-based model of reconciliation, we theorized that when inequality between groups is perceived as illegitimate, disadvantaged group members will experience a need for empowerment and advantaged group members a need for acceptance. When intergroup contact satisfies each group's needs, it should result in more mutual support for social change. Using four sets of survey data collected through the Zurich Intergroup Project in 23 countries, we tested several preregistered predictions, derived from the above reasoning, across a large variety of operationalizations. Two studies of disadvantaged groups (Ns = 689 ethnic minority members in Study 1 and 3,382 sexual/gender minorities in Study 2) support the hypothesis that, after accounting for the effects of intergroup contact and perceived illegitimacy, satisfying the need for empowerment (but not acceptance) during contact is positively related to support for social change. Two studies with advantaged groups (Ns = 2,937 ethnic majority members in Study 3 and 4,203 cis-heterosexual individuals in Study 4) showed that, after accounting for illegitimacy and intergroup contact, satisfying the need for acceptance (but also empowerment) is positively related to support for social change. Overall, findings suggest that intergroup contact is compatible with efforts to promote social change when group-specific needs are met. Thus, to encourage support for social change among both disadvantaged and advantaged group members, it is essential that, besides promoting mutual acceptance, intergroup contact interventions also give voice to and empower members of disadvantaged groups. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

The present studies investigated whether the gender composition of a group represents a sufficient situational cue for creating a mismatch between situationally accessible and ideal self-views. A longitudinal study of 333 employees revealed that being in the numerical minority implied a mismatch with ideal self-views among those who de-emphasized independence in their chronic self-construal, whereas being in the numerical majority constituted a mismatch with ideal self-views among those who emphasized independence. Both types of employees suffered a drop in self-esteem and adopted maladaptive motivational states, namely performance-avoidance goals. The observed deleterious effect of mismatched self-construal on goal pursuit was fully mediated by a perceived lack of acceptance (low social self-esteem). We replicated these findings in a laboratory study with 268 unacquainted individuals who collaborated in small groups on a non-gender-typed group task.

Migration elicits mixed reactions from the host‐society. Negative responses towards migrants seem to emerge when migrants are perceived as culturally different. We investigated when and why perceived cultural distance (PCD) is associated with negative migrant attitudes by focussing on differences in cultural values. We expected that PCD in social values (focus on relationships and society) should be more strongly associated with attitudes towards migrants than personal values (individual needs and gains) and should be mediated by symbolic threat. In two quasi‐experimental studies (N = 200, N = 668) with Dutch participants (host‐society), we simultaneously tested effects of respondents’ perception of Dutch values, their perceptions of migrant values (of Moroccan, Syrian, Polish ethnic origin), and PCD between Dutch‐migrant value on attitudes. For all migrant groups, PCD in social values was associated with more negative attitudes, less tolerance, and less policy support regarding migrants; this was mediated by symbolic threat. These links were weaker for personal values.

Securing long-lasting positive intergroup relations is of high priority in the multi-cultural European Union. Developing and promoting integration within the school context is a matter of interest to both researchers and practitioners. This study investigated the effects of a mastery-oriented motivational climate intervention using the TARGET framework on students' psychological integration (identification with, and inclusion in physical education [PE] class), in culturally diverse school classes. The intervention was conducted using a quasi-experimental design in 7th to 9th graders over 18 weeks. Two school classes were assigned to an intervention group (n =38) and three school classes received regular PE instruction. The intervention group was compared with a control group (n = 56). Results indicated a positive effect of the intervention on students' feelings of inclusion in PE class in the intervention condition compared to the control condition. Mediation analysis revealed that this effect operated through decreased performance climate perceptions. Our findings suggest that such an intervention using the TARGET framework may affect students' feelings of inclusion within the PE class through differences in performance climate perceptions. Findings highlight the importance of perceived motivational climate in PE for students' psychological integration in culturally diverse PE settings and suggest the effectiveness of a motivational climate intervention.

Lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) employees’ sexual identitymay be considered a concealable stigmatised identity. Disclosing it to others at work could potentially lead to discrimination and rejection, hence threatening their inclusion. Therefore, they may hide their sexual identity instead, which may then come at the cost of, e.g., guilt for not living authentically. However, disclosure is a continuum—rather than a dichotomy—meaning that LGB workers may decide to disclose selectively, i.e., telling some, but not all co‐workers. Most literature on disclosure focuses on the interplay between intrapersonal (e.g., psychological) and contextual (e.g., organisational) characteristics, thereby somewhat overlooking the role of interpersonal (e.g., relational) characteristics. In this article, we present findings from semi‐structured, in‐depth interviews with nine Dutch lesbian and gay employees, conducted in early 2020, to gain a better understanding of interpersonal antecedents to disclosure decisions at work. Through our thematic analysis, we find that LGB workers may adopt a proactive or reactive approach to disclosure, which relates to the salience of their sexual identity at work (high/low) and their concern for anticipated acceptance. Other themes facilitating disclosure include an affective dimension, being in a relationship, and associating with the employee resource group. We demonstrate the importance of studying disclosure at the interpersonal level and reflect on how our findings relate to literature on disclosure, authenticity, belonging, and social inclusion of LGB individuals at work.

Tabea Hässler, Johannes Ullrich, Simone Sebben, Nurit Shnabel, Michelle Bernardino, Daniel Valdenegro, Colette Van Laar, Roberto González, Emilio Paolo Visintin, Linda R. Tropp, Ruth K. Ditlmann, Dominic Abrams, Anna Lisa Aydin, Adrienne Pereira, Hema Preya Selvanathan, Jorina von Zimmermann, Nóra Anna Lantos, Mario Sainz, Andreas Glenz, Anna Kende, Hana Oberpfalzerová, Michal Bilewicz, Marija Branković, Masi Noor, Michael H. Pasek, Stephen C. Wright, Iris Žeželj, Olga Kuzawinska, Edona Maloku, Sabine Otten, Pelin Gul, Orly Bareket, Dinka Corkalo Biruski, Luiza Mugnol-Ugarte, Evgeny Osin, Roberto Baiocco, Jonathan E. Cook, Maneeza Dawood, Lisa Droogendyk, Angélica Herrera Loyo, Margareta Jelić, Kaltrina Kelmendi, and Jessica Pistella Online First Publication, June 17, 2021. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/pspi0000365