A Sex Role Inventory with Scales for "Machismo" and "Self-Sacrificing Woman"

Abstract

This article describes the development of a new sex role inventory, the Masculine Feminine Personality Traits Scale, based on Bem's Sex Role Inventory and using Mexican sex role stereotypes: The "machismo" and the "self-sacrificing woman" syndromes. The instrument includes four scales, Assertive Masculinity, Affective Femininity, Aggressive Masculinity, and Submissive Femininity, with 15 items each. Normative data and psychometric characteristics are presented for four samples (N = 1,301): two of university students, one of married couples, and one of workers. Three types of instructions were used when the instrument was presented: self-description, role expectations, and description of partner. Results showed that the scales tend to discriminate the responses of men and women in the expected direction and that the internal consistency of the scales is high. The importance of including these additional scales with the ones that measure "instrumentality" and "nurturance" is discussed.