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A confirmatory factor analysis of the Bem Sex Role Inventory: Old questions, new answers

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Abstract

LISREL analyses of data from a sample of 671 adults (90% Caucasian, 10% Black) evaluated (a) item factor structure of the Bem Sex Role Inventory (BSRI), (b) second-order factor model for the item factors, and (c) structural equation models estimating age and gender differences in these factors. Seven first-order item factors were extracted and found to have equivalent factor loadings for males and females. Item factors were related to two second-order factors: Masculinity and Femininity. There were relatively small age and gender differences in the first- and second-order factors. There was a differential relationship between self-rated masculinity and femininity and the first-order BSRI item factors for males and females. Results suggest that the BSRI best assesses gender-related personality traits and represents only one component of the complex multidimensional construct of gender roles.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Louisiana State University, USA

    Fredda Blanchard-Fields & Lynda Suhrer-Roussel

  2. School of Psychology, Georgia Institute of Technology, 30332-0170, Atlanta, GA, USA

    Christopher Hertzog

Authors
  1. Fredda Blanchard-Fields
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  2. Lynda Suhrer-Roussel
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  3. Christopher Hertzog
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Additional information

We thank Herbert W. Marsh and an anonymous reviewer for valuable comments on previous drafts of this article.

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Blanchard-Fields, F., Suhrer-Roussel, L. & Hertzog, C. A confirmatory factor analysis of the Bem Sex Role Inventory: Old questions, new answers. Sex Roles 30, 423–457 (1994). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01420602

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