Gender differences in the locus of control construct

Abstract

This article presents a synthesis of research in the last two decades that has explored the relationship of gender to locus of control measures. In the main, this nsearch suggests that both males and females are becoming more external. Females, however, tend to be more external than males on most locus of control measures. There are also gender differences in perceptions of control across behavioral domains. Factor analyses of locus of control measures indicate that males and females are relatively similar in primary factors but may differ substantially in some secondary factors. Two areas in which males and females appear to differ are perception of control over interpersonal relationships and perception of control over essentially uncontrollable life events. Gender differences also emerge in how locus of control relates to comparison variables. Internality, for example, appears to be more related to achievement for maies than females and a better predictor of social adaptation for females than for males.