Role-Model Influence: Effects of Sex and Sex-Role Attitude in College Students

Abstract
College students, evenly divided by sex, rated the degree of influence of six or eight people on choice of a college and a career. Sex-role attitude was also assessed. In the first of two experiments, the sexes showed different patterns of influence as did the sex-role attitude groupings. Experiment 2, using only college seniors and matching the sexes on the attitude scale, again found that females were more influenced by female models in their choice of career than were males. However, no effect of sex-role attitude appeared. In neither experiment was there a main effect of sex on the choices. Results were discussed in terms of the particular importance of female models for female students.