Madrid Adolescents Express an Interest in Gender Roles and Work Possibilities

Abstract

Three hundred fourteen adolescents (11-16 years of age) attending a lower middle class private school in Madrid, Spain, rated 10 qualities of the ideal man or ideal woman and drew a picture of the ideal person doing something. Being kind and honest was rated as the most important quality of the ideal person. The ideal woman, more often than the ideal man, was portrayed as physically mature, sexy, liking children, and working at a job or at home. The ideal man was shown engaged in a variety of activities, including sports, working in an office, or performing acts of heroism. A common image of the ideal person was an attractive and sexy singer. Comments on the drawings reflected many of the concerns of early adolescents, including an interest in gender roles, a commitment to work and the use of the imagination to conceive of a variety of possible future roles.