Abstract
The Bem Sex-Role Inventory (BSRI) is a widelyused instrument in measuring gender role perceptions.Recent concerns regarding the validity of the adjectiveshave arisen as changes in the roles of men and women have occurred in American society sincethe 1970's. A partial replication of the method that Bem(1974) used to validate the masculine and feminineadjectives comprising the instrument was conducted. All but two of the adjectives were validatedusing Bem's criteria. These findings suggest that theBSRI may still be a valid instrument for assessing genderroles. However, evidence was revealed that traditional masculine and feminine gender role perceptionsmay be weakening. Future validation of the BSRI iswarranted in light of these patterns.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
REFERENCES
Bem, S. L. (1974). The measurement of psychological androgyny. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 42, 155–162.
Bem, S. L. (1975). Sex role adaptability: One consequence of psychological androgyny. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 31, 634–643.
Bem, S. L. (1981). Bem Sex Role Inventory: Professional manual. Palo Alto, CA: Consulting Psychologists Press.
Bem, S. L., & Lenney, E. (1976). Sex typing and the avoidance of cross-sex behavior. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 33, 48–54.
Bem, S. L., Martyna, W., & Watson, C. (1976). Sex typing and androgyny: Further explorations of the expressive domain. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 34, 1016–1023.
Edwards, A. L., & Ashworth, C. D. (1977). A replication study of item selection for the Bem Sex-Role Inventory. Applied Psychological Measurement, 1, 501–507.
Ellis, J. B., & Range, L. M. (1988). Femininity and reasons for living. Educational and Psychological Research, 8, 19–24.
Gaudreau, P. (1977). Factor analysis of the Bem Sex-Role Inventory. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 45, 299–302.
Glazer, C. A., & Dusek, J. B. (1985). The relationship between sex-role orientation and resolution of Eriksonian developmental crises. Sex Roles, 13, 653–661.
Gross, R. W., Batlis, N. C., Small, A. C., & Erdwins, C. (1977). Factor structure of the Bem Sex-Role Inventory and the Personal Attributes Questionnaire. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 47, 1122–1124.
Heilbrun, A. B. (1968). Sex-role identity in adolescent females: A theoretical paradox. Adolescence, 3, 79–88.
Holt, C. L., & Ellis, J. B. (1998). Examining gender and gender role differences in attitudes toward abortion and euthanasia. Manuscript in preparation.
Holt, C. L., Zinser, O., & Tennyson, J. A. (1998). Gender differences in object recall: The effects of gender-related stimuli and motivation. Manuscript in preparation.
Latorre, R. A. (1978). Gender role and psychological adjustment. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 7, 89–96.
Orlofsky, J. (1977). Sex-role orientation, identity formation, and self-esteem in college men and women. Sex Roles, 3, 561–575.
Pedhazur, E. J., & Tetenbaum, T. J. (1979). Bem Sex-Role Inventory: A theoretical and methodological critique. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 37, 996–1016.
Strahan, R. F. (1975). Remarks on Bem's measurement of psychological androgyny: Alternative methods and a supplementary analysis. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 43, 568–571.
Street, S., Kimmel, E.B., & Kromrey, J. D. (1995). Revisiting university student gender role perceptions. Sex Roles, 33, 183–201.
Street, S., Kromrey, J. D., & Kimmel, E. (1995). University faculty gender roles perceptions. Sex Roles, 32, 407–422.
Street, S., & Meek, P. (1980). Greek and non-Greek student perceptions of sex roles. Journal of the National Association for Women Deans, Administrators, and Counselors, 43, 10–14.
Wakefield, J. A., Sasek, J., Friedman, A. F., & Bowden, J. D. (1976). Androgyny and other measures of masculinity-femininity. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 44, 766–770.
Walkup, H., & Abbott, R. D. (1978). Cross-validation of item selection on the Bem Sex-Role Inventory. Applied Psychological Measurement, 2, 63–71.
Waters, C. W., Waters, L. K., & Pincus, S. (1977). Factor analysis of masculine and feminine sex-typed items from the Bem Sex-Role Inventory. Psychological Reports, 40, 567–570.
Weiten, W. (1997). Psychology: Themes and variations, briefer version (3rd ed.). Pacific Grove, CA: Brooks/Cole Publishing Company.
Wilson, F. R., & Cook, E. P. (1984). Concurrent validity of four androgyny instruments. Sex Roles, 11, 813–837.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Holt, C.L., Ellis, J.B. Assessing the Current Validity of the Bem Sex-Role Inventory. Sex Roles 39, 929–941 (1998). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1018836923919
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1018836923919