Sex differences in self‐reported assertiveness in Britain

Abstract

The current interest in assertiveness and assertive training in America has not been paralleled by research in Britain or Europe, where assertiveness has been considered within the wider context of social skills. In this study five widely used self‐report assertiveness inventories, all derived in America, were administered to 200 British adult males and females, none of whom were undergraduate students. Of the six scores derived from the five scales, all showed significant male–female differences, with men reporting more assertiveness than females on five of the six, and females greater assertion on the sixth. These results confirm some previous findings of sex differences, but are inconsistent with other studies in the area. The results are discussed in terms of the different aspects of assertiveness measured by the scales, and the social and cultural differences in the measurement and manifestation of assertion.