An evaluation of the relationship between university students' multicultural attitudes and gender perceptions

This study aims to examine the relationship between university students' perceptions of gender and their attitudes toward multiculturalism. Furthermore, it investigates whether these two primary variables differ significantly based on various demographic characteristics. While gender refers to the roles and expectations attributed to individuals through social constructs, multiculturalism encompasses individual and societal attitudes toward the coexistence of cultural diversity. The study adopts a relational survey model and was conducted with 795 students enrolled at Amasya University. The data were collected using the Gender Perception Scale developed by Altınova and Duyan (2013) and the Multicultural Attitude Scale developed by Özgen and Köşker (2019). The analyses were carried out using the Jamovi statistical software, employing descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation, independent samples t-tests, ANOVA, Welch's ANOVA. The results revealed a significant and positive relationship between students' attitudes toward multiculturalism and their gender perceptions. Notably, strong correlations were found between gender perception and the sub-dimensions of multiculturalism such as "anxiety" (r = .613, p < .001) and "cultural richness" (r = .541, p < .001). These findings indicate that individuals with higher openness and sensitivity toward cultural differences also tend to exhibit a greater awareness of gender equality. In terms of demographic variables, factors such as biological sex, age, region of origin, place of residence, ethnic background, type of high school, university faculty, employment status, and parental education/employment status were found to have varying levels of impact on both gender perception and multicultural attitudes. The findings were interpreted through the lens of social learning theory, habitus, symbolic power, and feminist theory. In this context, it is suggested that universities develop social policies grounded in multiculturalism and gender equality, contributing to the construction of a more inclusive and equitable society.