Factor Structure of the Australian Sex-Role Scale

Abstract

The two forms of the Australian Sex-role Scale developed by Antill, Cunningham, Russell, and Thompson (1981) were administered to 164 male and 131 female Australian high school students. Principal axis factor analyses yielded six factors on Form A and six on Form B. These factors did not reflect the six sub-scales. Moreover, the differing factor structure did not support the original authors' claim that the two forms are parallel lists. Further analyses using mean scale scores, scale intercorrelations and coefficients alpha showed some agreements and disagreements with previous studies on the scale's characteristics. Evidence for the factorial complexity of the scale, and suggestions for further refinement, particularly with the social desirability and masculine negative scales, were presented.