The relationship between gender‐role measures: A review

Abstract

The relationship between self-report measures of gender traits (PAQ and BSRI), behaviour (SRBS and MFRQ) and attitudes (AWS) is reviewed by considering the comparison of two or more groups differing on trait scores, correlations between the scales and relevant experimental studies. Trait measures show extremely small relationships to attitudes: for men, lower instrumental and higher expressive trait scores were weakly associated with a more non-traditional attitude. For women, higher instrumental scores, lower expressive scores and higher (i.e. less feminine) M-F PAQ scores were weakly associated with a more non-traditional attitude. A very low relationship was found between the AWS and the Masculine and Feminine scales of the SRBS, but higher correlations were found for the M-F scale (negative for men and positive for women). Very high correlations were found between the MFRQ (a role preference scale) and the AWS. There were conistent positive associations between the respective M and F scales ofthe PAQ and SRBS for both men and women, accounting for between 2.6 and 14.4 per cent of the variance. Correlations between the PAQ scales and the MFRQ were generally low. These results support the multidimensional cathet than the unidimensional view of masculinity and femininity.

Gender Subgroup Self-Categorization and Gender Role Self-Concept

“…The relevance of gender stereotypical behaviors for gender role self-concept has been shown by several studies that revealed correlations between both positive instrumental traits with masculine behaviors and positive expressive traits with feminine behaviors (e.g., Archer 1989;Orlofsky et al 1985;Orlofsky and O'Heron 1987). Furthermore, the consideration of negative gender traits as an important part of the gender role self-concept is based on extensive research evidence (e.g., Helgeson 2003;Helgeson and Fritz 1999;2000;McCreary and Korabik 1994;Runge et al 1981;Spence et al 1979).…”

“…However, the primary usage of the above mentioned instruments has been criticized by several authors (e.g. Archer 1989;Ashmore 1990;Spence 1993;Spence andBuckner 1995, 2000;Twenge 1999). These authors suggest that the female role self-concept and the male role self-concept (femininity/masculinity) are broader self-constructs containing additional gender role characteristics beyond expressive and instrumental traits.…”

Estereótipos de gênero aplicados a mulheres atletas

“…Nesta nova concepção, a masculinidade e a feminilidade passam a ser construções psicológicas, formadas a partir das interações sócio-culturais e, portanto, independentes da polaridade biológica a que foram inseridas inicialmente. Atualmente, os conceitos de masculinidade e feminilidade são concebidos como estruturas multidimensionais (Antill & Russell, 1982;Archer, 1989;Aubé & Koestner, 1992;Bernard, 1981;Feather, 1978;Gaa, Liberman & Edwards, 1979, Gaudreau, 1977Koestner & Aubé, 1995).…”

The Male Attitude Norms Inventory-II

“…This is seen as an unavoidable consequence of, among other things, an individual's location within shifting power relations (Archer 1989;Levant 1996;Thompson and Pleck 1995). Moreover, construct independence suggests that masculinity and femininity do not rely on strict binary definition.…”

“…Masculinity and femininity are crucially argued to exist as unidimensional and interdependent constructs (Levant 1996;Thompson, Pleck, and Ferrera 1992;Thompson & Pleck, 1995). Archer (1989) notes the popular emergence of gender trait measures during the early 1970s. In particular, the Bem Sex Role Inventory (Bem 1974) and the Personal Attributes Questionnaire (Spence, Helmreich, and Stapp, 1974) found prolific use during this period (Beere 1990).…”