Beliefs about Women

Abstract

In the past decade researchers have become increasingly interested in examining the many facets of gender stereotypes. One particular area on which attention has been focused concerns "stereotypic" beliefs about women. The present article describes the development and validation of a self-report questionnaire measuring 15 stereotypes about women, the Beliefs about Women Scale (BA WS). The results provided evidence supporting the reliability and validity of the BA WS. The discussion deals with the use of the BA WS in the investigation of women's and men's personal functioning, cognitive activity, and interpersonal relationships.