A Longitudial View of Sex Role Development: Demographic Differences and the Influence of Social Relations.

Abstract

The present study investigates age, race, and sex differences in how individuals endorse sex role traits over time, and how the structure (network size, average age of network members, proportion of family in social network, and proportion of females in social network) and quality (positive and negative) of social relations are associated with sex role endorsements. Utilizing the two waves the Survey of Social Relations and Health Study (Antonucci & Akiyama, 1992, 2005), changes in Bem Sex Role Inventory (BSRI; 1974) responses across a 12 year time period were analyzed, using both categorical conceptualizations of sex role trait endorsements (masculine, feminine, androgynous, and undifferentiated) and continuous measures of trait endorsements (mean of masculine and feminine trait endorsements, respectively). Results indicate that over the 12 years, roughly 50% of adults remained consistent in their categorical sex role classification, while others changed to new classifications, indicating that there were both increases and decreases in masculine and feminine trait endorsements over time. Likewise, change in continuous measures of masculine and feminine sex role trait endorsements was observed, with significant increases in masculine trait endorsements and decreases in feminine trait endorsements over time, when controlling for level of education. Further, when investigating age, race, and sex interactions with sex role trait endorsements, significant interactions were observed between masculine sex role trait endorsement and age, race, and sex respectively, and feminine sex role trait endorsement and age. For social relations, both structure and quality were associated with sex role trait endorsement, with variations occurring within age, sex, and racial groups. For example, higher positive relationship quality was associated with higher feminine trait endorsements as well as being classified as androgynous. Implications and proposals for future research are discussed in accordance with the findings.