The Structure of the Bem Sex Role Inventory: A Summary Report of 23 Validation Studies

Abstract

This study reports on a summary of 23 separate exploratory factor analytic validation studies of the Bem Sex Role Inventory (BSRI) conducted during the 25 years since its publication. The ERIC and PsycLit databases were used to locate those validation studies. Number of items factor analyzed, sample characteristics, extraction and rotation methods used, names of factors, and factor structures reported in each of 23 studies were tabulated and analyzed. Two to four factors were retained in most of the studies, with masculine factors showing more factorially complex tendencies. Findings from this study suggest that masculinity and femininity have not been adequately operationalized in the BSRI and that the true structure of masculinity/femininity may be more complex than it appears when measured by the BSRI, which suggests that the BSRI may not capture the complex nature of masculinity/femininity. Implications of the results and the potential usefulness of the BSRI are discussed.

Examining teachers' perceptions of psychological gender and leadership behavior of principals in public elementary schools.

“…Table 4 shows the resulting coefficient alpha estimates, compared against those reported by developers for each scale. The internal consistency reliability coefficients for the BSRI scores were comparable to those reported in extant literature (Bern, 1974;Choi & Fuqua, 2003). According to DeVellis (2002), Henson (2001), and…”

“…The BSRI subscales are reported to have acceptable levels of internal consistency reliability scores (Choi & Fuqua, 2003 (Choi, Fuqua, & Newman, 2008;Spence & Helmreich, 1978, 1981. Furthermore, a number of empirical studies have questioned the patterns of convergent and divergent validity evidence through factorial analysis of the BSRI subscales.…”

“…For example, Choi and Fuqua (2003) reviewed 23 factor analytic studies of the BSRI. Their results showed frequency in retaining two to four factors, with two additional factors retained for both men and women on the masculinity scale.…”

Is there any Relationship between Sexual Attraction and Gender Typology?

“…With regard to concepts, as pointed out by Spence (1991), and as is obvious from the model employed herein, the claim that the BSRI measures masculinity and femininity is hardly justified. The most that can be said about the BSRI is that it operationalizes the instrumental and expressive traits, although in many of the studies, this is different from the initial conception: Rather than the foreseen orthogonal bidimensionality, a related multidimensionality emerges (Choi & Fuqua, 2003).…”

Sex and Gender: Beyond the Binaries

“…When considering the measurement of gender roles, it is also important to recognize that many measures are criticized for being "crude" or imprecise (Choi & Fuqua, 2003), and for a lack of reliability and validity (yielding inconsistent results across scales that purport to measure similar constructs) (Beere, 1990). Many scales also confuse the terms sex and gender, using them synonymously and thus incorrectly (e.g., the Bem Sex Role Inventory actually measures gender).…”