Predictors of adult men's gender-role conflict: Race, class, unemployment, age, instrumentality-expressiveness, and personal strain.

Abstract

Gender-role conflict exists when socialized gender roles result in personal restriction, devaluation, or violation of others or self. This research assesses the ways in which 13 demographic, psychological, and strain variables predict adult men's gender-role conflict. It was hypothesized that these variables would differentially predict four patterns of gender-role conflict that have been documented in earlier research (O'Neil, Helms, Gable, David, & Wfightsman, 1986). Men (N ffi 134) of different ages, races, classes, personality characteristics and work statuses were assessed with the Gender Role Conflict Scale, the Personal Strain Questionnaire, and the Personal Attributes Questionnaire. Two meaningful and independent male constellations linking 9 of the predictor variables with 3 patterns of gender-role conflict accounted for 88% of the variation in gender-role conflict. Methodological limitations and future research are discussed. Gender-role conflict is defined as a psychological state in which socialized gender roles have negative consequences on a person or on others. The ultimate outcome of this kind of conflict is a restriction of the human potential of the person experiencing the conflict or a restriction of another's potential. Gender-role conflict occurs when rigid, sexist, or restrictive gender roles result in personal restriction, devaluation, or violation of others or self (O'Neil, 1990). Gender-role conflict is important because men's gender roles have been associated with rape (Russell, 1984), family violence (Finn, 1986), and child sexual abuse (Finkelhor, 1984). Limited research exists on correlates of men's gender-role conflict and their impact on men's and women's lives. In the 1980s, numerous measures of gender-role conflict and related concepts were developed. Researchers developed instruments measuring the macho personality (Mosher & Sirkin, 1984), gender-role conflict (O'Neil, Helms, Gable, David, & Wrightsman, 1986), gender-role stress (Eisler & Skidmore, 1987; Eisler, Skidmore, & Ward, 1988), masculine roles (Snell, 1986; Snell, Belk, & Hawkins, 1986), and masculine attitudes (Brannon & Juni, 1984; Downs & Engelson, 1982). These measures give scientific respectability to the study of genderrole conflict in men because empirical data now document that men experience gender-role conflict. Men's studies and