Sex-roles: Gender, generation, and self-esteem

Abstract

The study investigated the relationship between sex-role, age and self esteem for 100 male and 100 female adults and 100 male and 100 female youths. Using the Bern Sex-Role Inventory (1974), older females were found to be more sex-typed than younger females, but there were no generation differences in sex-typing for the males. Masculine and Androgynous groups showed significantly higher self-esteem than Feminine and Undifferentiated groups, but there were no sex or generation differences in self-esteem. Australian data for the Bem Sex-Role Inventory showed that the adjectives chosen as masculine and feminine by Bem for her instrument are also appropriately masculine and feminine typed in Australian culture, suggesting that the BSRI can be validly used in this culture.