The Experiences with Ambivalent Sexism Inventory (EASI)

Abstract

We developed and validated a self-report scale assessing women’s daily experiences with hostile and benevolent sexism within domains of paternalism, gender differentiation, and heterosexuality. Women in two independent samples (Ns = 540 and 345) reported how frequently they experienced various hostile and benevolent forms of gender-based treatment derived from ambivalent sexism theory. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses, along with item response theory, resulted in a 28-item scale (the Experiences with Ambivalent Sexism Inventory [EASI]) with five subscales assessing hostile sexism, heterosexual hostility, protective paternalism, complementary gender differentiation, and heterosexual intimacy. The EASI demonstrates good internal consistency reliability, convergent and divergent validity, concurrent validity, and incremental validity when compared with a self-report measure of benevolent sexism. Moreover, it can be used flexibly to measure sexism experiences within specific contexts. We also validated a 20-item short version (the EASI-20) and a very brief 10-item version (the EASI-10) for use in time-constrained contexts. Discussion considers the benefits that the EASI offers researchers, as well as its limitations.