The relationship between beliefs about men's and women's roles in society and views on male sexual dysfunction in 135 women.

Abstract

This paper describes, for a sample of 135 women, the relationships between beliefs about men's and women's roles in society and attitudes toward a partner's sexual dysfunction. Beliefs about men's and women's gender roles were gauged by scores on the BAERS (Beliefs About Equal Rights Scale), a series of 28 true/false questions. Beliefs about male and female roles in society, as measured by the BAERS, were associated with activity in women's rights groups, with self-identification as a feminist, with perceptions of the etiology of male sexual dysfunction, attitudes toward sex therapy, behavioral and emotional responses to male dysfunction, and levels of experience with dysfunction. Alternate explanations of findings and their implications for future research are considered.