Gender stereotyping in Bangladesh; the development of the Strength of Gender Stereotyping Scale (SGSS)

Abstract

The investigation of gender stereotypes in Bangladesh is hampered by a lack of measures, making it difficult to gauge where social change is needed and to assess the efficacy of interventions. The objective of the study is to develop a psychometrically sound Bengali language scale measuring strength of belief in culturally pervasive gender stereotypes. 430 participants aged 18-80 years from all eight divisions of the country were recruited by purposive sampling. Standard scale development procedures were followed. From an initial pool of 60 items, 11 were chosen by judge evaluation, item analysis and exploratory factor analysis for the final scale, each item rated on a four-point Likert scale from 1, not agreeing at all with the stereotype, to 4, completely agreeing with the stereotype. Internal consistency and test-retest reliability are satisfactory. It has a two-factor structure related to the expression of emotion and the maintenance of authority respectively, together accounting for 35.04% of the variance. A psychometrically sound instrument has been developed to assess the strength of belief in gender stereotypes in Bangladesh that can be used to explore the strength and distribution of gender stereotypes and to measure changes in their strength over time or in response to interventions.