Most of the research findings on the relationship between traditional gender-role traits and self-concept suggest that only traditionally masculine traits relate significantly to a positive self-concept for both males and females. This research has been limited in two ways. First, most studies have used student samples; second, most have used…

This study analyzed the personality traits (masculine, feminine, androgynous, and undifferentiated sex role characteristics) of female students, staff, and faculty at a medium-sized university to determine how personality traits were associated with participation in recreational activities. A questionnaire consisting of items related to the Bem…

According to previous research, achieving women display nontraditional personality traits and are influenced by affiliative motives. To examine the needs exhibited by professional women who have made significant achievements, 23 career women (physicians, attorneys, veterinarians, business women, politicians, and artists) completed the Edwards…

Research on women in atypical occupations has generally focused on highly educated women and has neglected to compare atypically employed women to equally educated women in sex-typical occupations. Since the median American worker has only 13.6 years of schooling, the lack of research on the personality characteristics of noncollege-degreed women…

Males' and females' interaction styles were observed while they worked in four-person, mixed-sex groups on a discussion task. In some groups, members were only given information about each others' names and gender. Under these conditions, males were perceived higher in competence than females. Further, males were found to engage in a greater…

Personnel directors (N=34) responded to a mailed adjective checklist describing the ideal secretary. This list contained eight adjectives cxorresponding to each of Holland's six vocationally-related personality traits (Realistic, Social, Investigative, Enterprising, Conventional, and Artistic) and eight feminine and eight masculine adjectives from…

Surprisingly little research has studied the relationship of sex roles and marital adjustment, although one would assume these variables would be related. In addition, no significant relationships have been found between androgyny and marital satisfaction. To study the relationship of sex roles, particularly androgyny, to marital adjustment, 55…

The reason that people think women and men differ in their general qualities may be that the two sexes tend to be observed in different social roles. To explore the sources of stereotypes about men and women several experiments were conducted. Most of the studies involved randomly selected college students who were presented with a description of…

Much research on masculinity and femininity has relied on the Bem Sex Role Inventory (BSRI) and similar androgyny inventories. Recently, investigators have questioned whether self ratings on androgyny inventories reflect salient dimensions of the self. The relations between spontaneous self descriptions and the respondent's gender and gender role…

Most of the debate among the behavioral sciences about the interaction between choice of sexual object and personality characteristics has dealt with male homosexuality. To explore the personality variables of female homosexuals, 46 heterosexual and 46 homosexual women took the California Psychological Inventory. Comparison of the results…

Gender role conflict exists when gender roles have negative impact or consequences on the self or others. To examine the degree to which college males reflect gender role conflict and strain and to determine whether men who describe themselves as instrumental (masculine), expressive (feminine), both instrumental and expressive (androgynous), or…

While extensive research has examined the personality of the alcoholic, current interest centers on the use of differential treatment for different personality types. The aim of such treatment is to focus on the disorder underlying the problem of alcoholism for each particular patient. To look for relationships among personality variables,…

Research on gender stereotypes has contrasted males with females, describing males by competency traits and females by traits which denote warmth or emotionality. However, it has become clear that these traits do not satisfactorily describe all members of either sex, since not all men possess only masculine characteristics and not all women…

The rich complexity of the concepts of masculinity and femininity has been reflected in personality measures in at least two different ways: by employing a variety of subscales with comparatively homogeneous items or by using a single scale with comparatively heterogeneous items. The Personal Attributes Questionnaire (PAQ) was the subject of an…

Since the introduction of the Bem Sex Role Inventory (BSRI), many studies have attempted to relate masculine and feminine characteristics to various personality dimensions. To determine the relationship between sex-role orientation and locus of control, undergraduate students (101 females and 83 males) completed the BSRI and the Adult…