Locus of Control and Traditional/Non-Traditional Sex-Role Orientations in a Sample of British Female Undergraduates

Abstract

67 British female undergraduates were categorized as “traditional” ( n = 21), “mixed” ( n = 26), and “contemporary” ( n = 20) on the basis of their scores on two sex-role orientation scales. Relationships were then investigated between their locus of control and sex-role orientation scores. While some likelihood existed that the more traditional the subjects were in role orientation the more external they tended to be, sizeable proportions of both internals and externals were in all three categories. Locus of control could not be regarded as a major determinant of adherence or non-adherence to traditional sex-role perceptions. Caution in generalizing the results was therefore suggested. Moreover, the two sex-role orientation scales were differentially effective in separating internals and externals; a reexamination of scale contents was suggested.