Development of a scale and study of micromachisms in adult and university population

Abstract

Introduction. Research on micromachims shows that these are behaviors that promote the maintenance of male domination and which are carried out in a subtle way in daily life, making them an invisible and, therefore, more harmful form of violence. Objectives. The main aim of this study was to ascertain the extent to which people hold these kinds of attitudes, taking into consideration possible gender and age differences, as well as knowing if there are differences according to the studied University degree. Methodology. To this purpose, a 28-item scale, Escala de Micromachismos (EMM), was built. The sample, recruited online to facilitate participation and dissemination, was composed by a total of 175 people, of whom 103 were students and 72 were adults. Results. The results indicate that there were differences concerning these variables, being the adult men those who held these types of attitudes the most. However, there were not significant differences among students depending on the University degree field. Conclusions and discussion. This work provides professionals and researchers with a micromachisms assessment scale with adequate psychometric properties. In addition, it has also provided knowledge on the prevalence of micromachisms and the related variables, highlighting the value of education in regard to the knowledge and implementation of these attitudes.