Sex Role Attitudes and Psychological Outcomes for Black and White Women Experiencing Marital Dissolution

Abstract

The mediating impact of sex role attitudes on psychological outcomes for black and white women experiencing marital dissolution is investigated. Findings are based on a sample of 253 women interviewed twice during the divorce process: when they first contacted a court-related marriage counseling service and then four months later. Findings indicated that black and white women did not differ in the degree of traditionality of their sex role attitudes on any of the three factors identified: (1) Women in the Home; (2) Traditional Family Roles; and (3) Job Inequality. Traditional white women reported significantly lower self-esteem, inner directedness and internal control, more distress and less well-being, and less personal growth than nontraditional white women. The relationship between sex role ideology and psychological outcomes during divorce was not evident for black women. Ethnic differences in women's psychological responses to divorce are discussed in the context of their different socialization experiences and historical family traditions in American society.