The development of girls' sex-role attitudes

Abstract

The present study investigated girls' perceptions of the adult female role. It focused upon the relative impacts of maternal variables, societal stereotypes, and age upon girls' sex-role concepts. Subjects were 150 girls, ages 6--8 and 10--12, from working-class families in rural Ohio. Several measures were administered to each girl to assess the nature of her sex-role attitudes and aspirations. Questionnaires were sent home to participating mothers to determine maternal sex-role attitudes and aspirations. Questionnaires were sent home to participating mothers to determine maternal sex-role attitudes, maternal employment status, and maternal role satisfaction. The results supported a cognitive-developmental explanation of sex-role attitude development. Younger girls had significantly more sex-typed role prescriptions and aspirations than older girls. The older girls' sex-role attitudes and aspirations correlated significantly with their mothers' sex-role attitudes and goals for their daughters' futures. Maternal employment had no effect on girls' perceptions of the adult female role. It is suggested that this lack of effect may be due to the working-class background of the subjects.