Agency and communion ratings do not suggest shifting gender norms in American Society: A registered report

Abstract

Gender role scales measure concepts related to agency and communion as masculine- and feminine-typed traits. However, previous findings showed that 18-to-29-year-old women and men did not differ on a scale of communion, whereas 30–40-year-old women and men did. This study attempted to replicate these findings and to expand to a lifespan sample 10 years after initial data collection to clarify whether interactions by age support developmental and/or cohort-related trends for gender and communion. Results contradict a cohort explanation, and in fact show a weaker interaction between age and gender than prior studies. We conclude that mean gender differences are broadly stable across the lifespan, though they are somewhat weaker in emerging adult years, suggesting a small developmental effect.