An Examination of the Current Usefulness of the Bem Sex-Role Inventory

Abstract

In the present study, an ethnically diverse convenience sample ( N = 182; 62% female) of working adults (56%) and college students ( M age = 30.9 yr., SD = 12.8, range = 18 to 71) completed the Bem Sex-Role Inventory which is a widely used self-report measure of perceptions of gender roles. Based on their scores, individuals' sex roles can be categorized as Masculine or Feminine (sex-typed) or Androgynous. The results of this study suggest that, almost 30 years after it was first developed, the categories can still be used to categorize men and women of varying ages.