Rebels With(Out) a Cause: The Influence of Gender Inequality on the Relationship Between Egalitarianism and System Justification

In recent decades, women’s representation in power positions has increased alongside a global decline in anti-egalitarian biases. These egalitarian shifts provide the ideal context to examine the boundary conditions of the motivators of group-based inequality. Accordingly, we investigate the possibility that rising gender equality over the last 14 years has attenuated the relationship between group-based (anti-)egalitarianism (namely, social dominance orientation) and system justification. A multi-level analysis of longitudinal data from 43,924 women shows that anti-egalitarian beliefs predicted increases in system justification. However as hypothesized, increases in gender equality attenuated the positive correlation between anti-egalitarian beliefs and justification of the status quo. These associations were particularly pronounced among women from majoritized groups who benefit most from gender equality. Results replicate across robustness checks and offer a critical update to our understanding of egalitarianism by showing that egalitarians may engage in system justification when the status quo becomes more equal.