Dr Yanshu Huang
Research Fellow
The University of Queensland
Although New Zealand has historically been on the forefront of women’s rights, gender inequity across various domains continues to endure. In particular, in recent years, the topic of reproductive rights has received elevated attention, both nationally and globally. To these ends, I investigated New Zealanders’ perceptions of women’s reproductive autonomy. Specifically, I examined how the endorsement of sexist attitudes correlates with attitudes towards two areas of women’s reproductive experiences: (a) attitudes toward abortion and (b) attitudes toward breastfeeding in public. Analyses were conducted using data from the New Zealand Attitudes and Values Study, a national longitudinal panel sample of New Zealand adults. The findings suggest that although attitudes toward gender roles are shifting towards greater egalitarianism, sexism is nonetheless implicated in public support for women’s reproductive autonomy in New Zealand.
Prior to joining the Life Course Centre, Yanshu completed a PhD in social psychology at the University of Auckland, New Zealand. Her research interests include gender role attitudes, attitudes towards gender equality, support for reproductive autonomy, and longitudinal analyses. She was also a postdoctoral research fellow at the Public Policy Institute at the University of Auckland, working on a project focused on promoting gender responsive budgeting in New Zealand.