Multiculturalism shapes moral judgments of sexist men across religious groups

This research examined how multicultural ideology influences moral evaluations of sexist men from majority and minority religious groups. Across three studies ( N = 1346) conducted in Spain, a relatively secular society with a Catholic tradition, participants read a story about a man controlling his wife's behavior, identified as Muslim (Studies 1–3), Catholic (Studies 1–3), Protestant (Study 2), or Jewish (Study 3). Individuals high in multicultural endorsement consistently judged Muslim men as more moral than non-stigmatized minorities (Protestant) and majority members (Catholic) in identical scenarios. In contrast, those opposed to multiculturalism showed a less consistent pattern, sometimes favoring majority men over Muslim targets. These findings suggest that multicultural supporters may inadvertently inhibit criticism of sexist practices within minorities, while opponents may exploit such cases to advance anti-immigration narratives.