Sex-role Ideology Research Articles

Equality on Male Terms or Reconstruction of Gender Roles? Association 9 and the Finnish Sex Role Ideology of the 1960s

ABSTRACT The public and political discussion on women’s position in society and gender equality was initiated in the Nordic countries in the 1960s in the form of the so-called sex role debate. Previous studies have characterized sex role ideology as narrower in its goals than the radical feminist ideology of the late 1960s and 1970s. Sex role ideology has also been criticized for understanding equality on male terms, whereas feminist ideology has been thought to aim at radically reform gender roles and society. In this article, I argue that the Finnish sex role association called Association 9 had a much broader vision of gender equality than has been previously claimed. The starting point of the sex role ideology that the Association 9 represented and aimed at to promote was, similarly to feminist ideology, to reconstruct society by re-evaluating gender roles, particularly by demonstrating that they are socially constructed. In addition, they both aimed to deconstruct the gendered division of society into the masculine public sphere and the feminine private sphere.

Radical sex role ideology and the Finnish gender role movement in the late 1960s

ABSTRACT An active discussion of gender roles and the need to renegotiate them took place in the late 1960s in Finland. While previous studies have associated this ‘sex role debate’ with the independent civic organisation Association 9, this article focuses on the wider gender role movement. The article analyses the interplay and differences among the Finnish Women’s Democratic League, the Committee for Women’s Status, and Association 9’s grassroots activism between 1965 and 1970. It demonstrates that similar ideas about sex roles were presented simultaneously in two public spheres: the dominant public, where the ideas were promoted by Association 9, and the people’s democratic counterpublic, which presented the goals of the Finnish Women’s Democratic League. Both discussions also influenced the work of the Committee for Women’s Status in Finland. These organisations had divergent modes of action, ranging from a civic association to party political organisation and parliamentary committee, but the theoretical premises of their conceptualisations of gendered societal structures had clear similarities. We show this by drawing on the archives of Association 9 and the Finnish Women’s Democratic League, including original documents such as minutes of meetings and newspaper and magazine clippings, and the Committee for Women’s Status’s White Paper.

The ‘feminisation’ of psychiatric discourse: A Marxist analysis of women’s roles in neoliberal society

In analysing the increasing rates of female ‘mental illness’ in neoliberal society, this article draws on Marxist and feminist theory to conceptualise psychiatry as an institution of patriarchal and capitalist power, responsible for reinforcing traditional gender roles. Through outlining the changing circumstances of women, including the recent ‘feminisation’ of the labour force, we argue that there has been a more acute need for patriarchal capitalism to curtail the emancipatory potential of women through the heightened enforcement of sex-role ideology. This is demonstrated through a profile of ‘feminised’ mental disorders which have appeared in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders ( DSM) since 1980 – including premenstrual dysphoric disorder and female sexual interest/arousal disorder – which we argue purposely reproduce a discourse which restricts women’s advancements in paid employment while reinforcing the cliché of ‘respectable femininity’ as still primarily associated with the family and the home. We conclude the article by suggesting that, under the conditions of neoliberalism, the mental health system is becoming an increasingly powerful institution for the social control of gender.

The Effects of Parenting Styles on Sex-Role Ideologies of Pru West Senior High Students

No two parents view things in the same way when it comes to raising their children. In this light, the current study attempted to establish a link between parenting methods and gender role ideas. This study used a correlational research design. We selected 300 individuals from a population of 1480 using stratified and simple random selection procedures. The participants’ parenting styles were assessed using Buri’s (1991) Parental Authority Questionnaire (PAQ), and their sex role beliefs were assessed using Williams and Best’s Sex-Role Ideology Scale (SRIS) (1990). Moment of Pearson-Product Correlation was used to determine the relationship between parenting methods and sex role ideology, while regression was utilised to determine the variables’ predictions. It was discovered that parenting techniques had no effect on the participants’ sex-role ideas. Individuals with an authoritative parenting style, on the other hand, were more likely to develop a more modern sex-role ideology, whereas those with an authoritarian parenting style developed a more conventional sex-role ideology. Additionally, both sex and religion predicted modern and traditional sex-role ideas, respectively. Tribe anticipated an authoritative parenting style without regard for either permissive or authoritarian parenting methods. The study recommends that because parenting styles are related to sex-role ideology, guidance and counselling coordinators should place a premium on the most effective parenting style in order to help students develop an acceptable sex role ideology.

Revenge among Parents Who Have Broken up Their Relationship through Family Law Courts: Its Dimensions and Measurement Proposal

This work analyzes inter-parental revenge after a breakup process, as it relates to the dark triad of personality, moral disengagement, and sex role ideology. Our objective was to test a predictive model for revenge based on these variables. Additionally, a scale to measure revenge among parents was developed. A sample of 384 participants who had minor children, had broken up their relationship, and had undergone or were undergoing problematic judicial procedures regarding their children completed a survey. They answered to measures of the dark triad of personality (Machiavellianism, narcissism, psychopathy); moral disengagement strategies; sex role ideology, and revenge. An instrument (the R scale), with adequate reliability and validity was developed to test revenge. Results show that revenge behaviors are perpetrated by 1 to 5% of participants. Revenge has three components: revenge through the child, revenge through economic manipulation, and revenge by cutting off communication. Results also show that for males, but not for females, sex role ideology mediates the relationship between the components of the dark triad, moral disengagement, and revenge. This paper aims at providing some insight for the protection of minors from manipulation by means of the Family Courts.

Do Distance Education students owned their learning? Students’ perceptions of parenting styles and sex role ideologies.

Samuel Asare Amoah1, Francis Owusu-Mensah2, Abena Gyamera3 Gideon Mensah, Ankama4, Psychology and Education, Department, University of Education, Winnebaasareamoahy@yahoo.com Institute of Distance and e-learning, University of Education, Winnebafrancisowusumensah@gmail.com Psychology and Education, Department, University of Education, Winneba Municipal Education Office, Ghana Education Service, Koforiduaabenagyamera@yahoo.co.uk ABSTRACTStudents have different ideologies about what they consider appropriate and inappropriate when it comes to learning. In view of this the study sought to find out if DE students own their learning regarding parenting styles and sex role ideologies. Correlational research design was employed in this study. Stratified and simple random sampling techniques were used to select 300 participants from a population of 1480. Using an adopted instruments the Pearson-Product Moment Correlation was used to establish association between parenting styles and sex role ideology and regression was used to ascertain the predictions of the variables. It was found that parenting styles do not contribute to sex role ideologies of the participants to foster learning. However, individuals with authoritative parenting style were more likely to form more modern sex role ideology which influences their learning episode, and individuals with authoritarian parenting style were more likely to have more traditional sex role ideology. The study recommends that since parenting styles relates with sex role ideology DE students need to be guided on how they learn through guidance and counselling to develop the best ideology to learning. Again cultural sentiment need to guide DE students who come from varied cultural settings. Key words: Parenting Styles, Sex role ideology, Distance Education students

Do ethnicity and sex-role ideology influence self-esteem among US and West-African young adults: An exploratory cross-cultural study

We explored ethnicity and sex-role ideology influences on self-esteem among young adults contrasting self-report data by university students from West-Africa (n = 144; females = 58.33%) and the United States (n = 57; females = 73.68%). The students (N = 201) completed measures of sex-role ideology and personal and collective self-esteem. Following regression analysis, we found ethnicity differences in self-esteem. US students scored higher than West-African students did on three self-esteem measures. Sex-role ideology did not predict self-esteem both between and within cultural settings. Findings may be explained by the conflation of ethnicity and sex-role ideology in the study sample.

Homonegativity in the Technical and Vocational Track: A Survey of Secondary School Students in Flanders

Students from the technical and vocational track in Flanders have more homonegative attitudes than other students. We investigate what explains this track difference and if the homonegativity is reflected in more bullying experiences by lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) students in these tracks. The results show that sex-role ideology and religion are related to homonegative attitudes, but they do not explain the greater homonegativity of technical and vocational track students. The study also confirms that LGB students experience significantly more bullying than heterosexual students, but the experience of bullying does not differ significantly between tracks.

Gender Differences in Associations of Sexual and Romantic Stimuli: Do Young Men Really Prefer Sex over Romance?

Theory and research emphasize differences in men's and women's sexual and romantic attitudes, concluding that men have stronger preferences for sexual than romantic stimuli as compared to women. However, most of the research on gender differences have relied on self-reports, which are plagued by problems of social desirability bias. The current study assessed young men's and women's implicit attitudes toward sexual and romantic stimuli to test whether, in fact, men have a stronger preference for sexual over romantic stimuli compared to women. We also assessed associations between implicit and explicit attitudes, as well as sex role ideology and personality. College students (68 men and 114 women) completed an Implicit Association Test (IAT) that assessed strengths of associations of sexual and romantic stimuli to both pleasant and unpleasant conditions. Results revealed that both men and women more strongly associated romantic images to the pleasant condition than they associated the sexual images to the pleasant condition. However, as predicted, women had a stronger preference toward romantic versus sexual stimuli compared to men. Our study challenges a common assumption that men prefer sexual over romantic stimuli. The findings indicate that measures of implicit attitudes may tap preferences that are not apparent in studies relying on self-reported (explicit) attitudes.

Sex Role Ideology, Relationship Context, and Response to Sexual Coercion in College Females

This study examined the impacts of traditional sex role orientation and relationship context upon women’s responses to sexual coercion in a sample of 114 female undergraduates in the northwestern USA. We examined differences in the amount of time participants allowed a simulated sexually coercive situation to continue, comparing groups based upon the extent to which participants endorsed traditional feminine sex roles on the Sex Role Ideology Scale, as well as the context of the relationship in which such behaviors occurred, which was manipulated as an independent variable. Results indicated that individuals in the long-term relationship condition took significantly longer to terminate the vignette than did their peers. However, no significant effect of traditionality upon response latency was observed.

Marital Quality in Interracial Relationships

African American/White interracial couples are a rapidly growing segment of the population. However, little is known about factors related to marital quality for these couples. The authors examine the relationships between sex role ideology, perception of relationship unfairness, and marital quality among a sample of 76 married African American/White interracial couples from the mid-Atlantic region. The results indicate that interracial couples are similar to same-race couples in some ways. In particular, women, regardless of race, report their marriages to be more unfair to them than do men. Unique experiences in interracial marriages based on one's race or race/gender combination are also identified. African Americans experience more ambivalence about their relationship than their White partners. Furthermore, sex role ideology has a moderating effect on perceived unfairness and marital quality for African American men. Similarities and differences among interracial and same-race marriages are discussed, with recommendations for future research.

Strategies for coping with work-family conflict: The distinctive relationships of gender role ideology.

Study 1, with 266 employed parents, identified 8 coping strategies: super at home, good enough at home, delegation at home, priorities at home, super at work, good enough at work, delegation at work, and priorities at work. Study 2, with 679 employed parents, demonstrated a moderating effect of sex and gender role ideology in the relationship between coping strategy and work-family conflict. Specifically, the relationships between coping strategies (i.e., good enough at home, good enough at work, and delegation at work) and work interference with family were moderated by sex and gender role ideology. Regarding family interference with work, the relationships between coping strategies (i.e., good enough at home and good enough at work, delegation at home and delegation at work, and priorities at home) and family interference with work were moderated by sex and gender role ideology.

On the relationships among organisational family supportiveness, work-family conflict, and turnover intention: evidence on Japanese men

The continuously increasing rate of women's labour force participation has rendered the traditional male provider?female homemaker construction of gender roles obsolete or anachronistic. Due to the change in the sex role ideology, balancing or juggling work and family roles has become a particularly important issue for working men and women. As a result, family-friendly benefits and practices are emerging in organisations, and studies that examine the effects of the family supportiveness on such criteria as work-family conflict and work withdrawal behaviours, are increasing. Using a sample of Japanese married men, the present study investigated if organisational family supportiveness affected turnover intention directly and/or indirectly through work-family conflict. The results indicated that both the direct and indirect effects were not significant; only the path from work-family conflict to turnover intention reached the significance level. The meaning of the findings and directions for future research are discussed.

Gender, Sex Role Ideology, and Self-Esteem Among East Asian Immigrants in the United States

This study examined the relationship between gender, sex role ideology, and self-esteem among 170 (88 male, 82 female) East Asian immigrants in the United States. Participants were administered a battery of psychometrically established measures. Men and women did not differ on personal or collective self-esteem (CSE). Women who endorsed traditional sex roles were significantly more likely to report higher private, identity, and total CSE. Personal self-esteem was a significant independent predictor of traditional sex role for women. Participants who endorsed sex role equality were significantly more likely to report public, membership, and total CSE. Sex role equality was associated with enhanced private CSE for men and attenuated personal self-esteem for women. These findings point to the importance of assessing multiple facets of self-esteem, which appear to be differentially associated with sex role ideology for men and women.

Sex role ideology among East Asian Immigrants in the United States.

Although sex role ideology (i.e., beliefs about the proper roles for men and women) is linked with self-definition and male-female interactions, researchers have rarely examined such beliefs among U.S. immigrants. This study examined the cultural (ethnic identity, self-construal) and demographic (gender, age, years in United States) correlates of sex role ideology among 170 (88 male, 82 female) East Asian immigrants using psychometrically established measures. Male participants who endorsed ethnic identity and interdependent self-construal were more likely to report traditional sex roles; female participants who lived for a longer period of time in the United States and who endorsed independent self-construal were more likely to report sex role equality. Clinicians should consider assessing sex role ideology to reduce the likelihood of stereotyping their immigrant clients.

Are men universally more dismissing than women? Gender differences in romantic attachment across 62 cultural regions

Gender differences in the dismissing form of adult romantic attachment were investigated as part of the International Sexuality Description Project—a survey study of 17,804 people from 62 cultural regions. Contrary to research findings previously reported in Western cultures, we found that men were not significantly more dismissing than women across all cultural regions. Gender differences in dismissing romantic attachment were evident in most cultures, but were typically only small to moderate in magnitude. Looking across cultures, the degree of gender differentiation in dismissing romantic attachment was predictably associated with sociocultural indicators. Generally, these associations supported evolutionary theories of romantic attachment, with smaller gender differences evident in cultures with high–stress and high–fertility reproductive environments. Social role theories of human sexuality received less support in that more progressive sex–role ideologies and national gender equity indexes were not cross–culturally linked as expected to smaller gender differences in dismissing romantic attachment.

Child Testimony in Custody Cases

The authors provide a brief historical review of judicial trends in child custody placement. In contrast to the start of the 19th century, by its end, courts took into consideration children's best interests, maternal rights, and prevailing sex role ideologies. Statutory changes began to reflect similar concerns by the end of that century. Modern practices, relying on the best interests of the child standard, also include consistent consideration of children's preferences in making custody determinations. An important factor in this context is the accuracy with which a child describes domestic relations, especially in contested cases with contradictory allegations by parents. Research dealing with children's report accuracy and techniques to enhance it are reviewed, and a description of various practical considerations when questioning children is provided.

Social identification and gender-related ideology in women and men.

The nature of women's and men's gender-derived social identification was examined with a focus on the relationships between aspects of identity and gender-related ideology. Measures of social identification, sex-role ideology, and the perception of women's collective disadvantage were completed by 171 women and 91 men who categorized themselves as either traditional, non-traditional or feminist. Factor analysis provided support for a multidimensional conception of gender-derived social identification, with viable subscales reflecting in-group ties, cognitive centrality, and in-group affect. For self-identified non-traditional and feminist women, the cognitive centrality of gender was greater, and more consistently related to gender-related ideology, than for traditional women. Traditional men reported stronger in-group ties and more positive gender-linked affect than did non-traditional men, but men's levels of identification were generally weakly related to gender-related ideology. The utility of considering both multiple dimensions and ideological correlates of group identification is discussed with reference to social identity theory.

A Portuguese Short Form of the Sex-Role Ideology Scale

This study examined the psychometric properties of the Sex-Role Ideology Scale in Portugal. In the first of 2 samples were 139 undergraduate volunteers. Internal consistency was .75, and a factor analysis gave some support for a unidimensional solution, which is consistent with scoring provided by the authors of the scale. Given the continuing ambiguity about the factor structure of the scale, we developed a unidimensional short form of 14 items. There was a tendency for the women to obtain higher scores for Egalitarianism than the men. 93 women of the second sample provided data for cross-validation of the structure of the short form.

Feminism, Family Work, and Moral Discourse: A Comment on Ahlander and Bahr's "Beyond Drudgery, Power, and Equity"

In a recent JMF article, Beyond Drudgery, Power, and Equity: Toward an Expanded Discourse on Moral Dimensions of Housework in Families, Ahlander and Bahr (1995) present a call to expand study of housework to include investigations of moral meanings families assign to their domestic labors. They suggest that certain contemporary, popular theories and branches of research have focused too intently on technicality, rationality, political expediency, and economics, and have, therefore, missed more important interpersonal, reciprocal, commonsense notions of love and responsibility expressed through family work. I am sympathetic to their arguments. Specifically, I, too, would welcome an expanded dialogue among social scientists on analysis of morality and its effects on our disciplines as well as on lives of families we study. However, I am concerned that Ahlander and Bahr have presented an inaccurate depiction of feminist contributions to theory and research on housework and family work. First, I detail some of vital contributions of feminist research on family work that Ahlander and Bahr ignore or misconstrue. Second, I question conceptualization of morality that Ahlander and Bahr use, and I note how feminist scholarship provides insight into their call for an analysis of moral discourse of family work. My main argument is that, because Ahlander and Bahr dismiss feminist contributions to family work research, their moral discourse analysis is flawed in two fundamental ways. First, they improperly split moral discourse analysis from analysis of other irrevocably interrelated social phenomena, such as justice, equity, and gender stratification. Second, they forward private home and individual families as location and units for moral discourse analysis and thus reify a presumed-and feminists argue false-split between private and public social structures and relations. Mischaracterization of Feminist Theories Beyond Drudgery, Power, and Equity mischaracterizes feminist theories. This mischaracterization includes a misrepresentation of what constitutes feminist research as well as two erroneous claims about underlying assumptions of feminist research. First, authors overgeneralize about many forms of feminist literatures and conflate all of feminist research into liberal, individualistic, contractual exchange theories and what they label as legalistic distributive justice theories. Both exchange and distributive justice theories represent specific types of feminist scholarship, but they do not represent a dominant canon. The authors select these as representative of feminist theory, and, in doing so, typecast feminists as overly concerned with economic power, equity, and conflicted gender relations. Second, authors make two erroneous claims about feminist critiques: that feminists view housework as unmitigated drudgery and that the usual feminist critique of division of labor rests on assumption that sex role ideology, both in families and in larger society, stems from a dominance/submission relationship between sexes . . rooted in kind of work assigned to each (Ahlander & Bahr,1995, p. 58). What is most inaccurate about these claims is that authors suggest that feminists' typical position is that relations between women and men are always contentious. I will address first simpler problem of abbreviated sample of feminist theories. Recently mainstream family sociology journals and other general mainstream sociology journals have focused on economic theories and distributive justice theories (Bergen, 1991; Brayfield, 1992; Major, 1993, 1987; Molm, Quist, & Wisely, 1994; Sanchez, 1994; Thompson, 1991). Some of these feminist-economic or feminist-exchange theories do model negative, coercive, exploitative principles Ahlander and Bahr mention (Delphy & Leonard, 1992). …