Positive and Negative Factors in the Measurement of Sex Roles: Findings from a Mexican Sample

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
Separate factor analyses of the items of Bem's Sex Role Inventory and of New Scales (Positive and Negative Masculinity and Femininity) for 453 Mexican undergraduate students yielded four interpretable factors for the BSRI, two of them related to feminine aspects: Tender-Gentle and Cheerful-Likable, and two others to masculine: Assertive-Self-reliant and Dominant-Aggressive. For the New Scales, three factors could be interpreted: a negative masculine (Rude-Materialistic), a negative feminine (Submissive-Hesitant) and a positive masculine and feminine (Hard-Working-Active). Intercorrelations among the seven factors were calculated and were the basis for two graphic displays. Results are interpreted in relation to cultural differences, and the importance of negative traits in the measurement of sex roles is emphasized.