Sex Role Attitudes in Dating and Marriage: A 15‐Year Follow‐Up of the Boston Couples Study

Abstract

This longitudinal research investigated the personal and relationship correlates of sex role attitudes first during college and then 15 years later. The original sample of 231 college‐age dating couples was studied intensively in 1972–1974, and individual participants were recontacted in 1986–1987. Results provide evidence for the reliability and validity of the 10‐item Sex‐Role Traditionalism Scale. In college, significant links were found between sex role attitudes and dating relationships, including patterns of self‐disclosure, power, and cohabition, but not relationship satisfaction. Fifteen years later, sex role attitudes assessed while in college were largely unrelated to general patterns of marriage, childbearing, and employment for either sex, but did predict women's educational attainment and the long‐term outcome of the college romances.