Abstract
The Adjective Check List (ACL) was employed in the empirical definition of male and female stereotypes by 50 male and 50 female college student subjects. Judgments by male and female subjects correlated highly. There were 33 male adjectives and 30 female adjectives on which at least 75% of both sexes agreed. With a 60% agreement criterion, there were 98 male and 83 female adjectives. Both male and female stereotypes were treated as hypothetical persons and were shown to be highly deviant on standard ACL norms, with the male stereotype being more deviant and perhaps more “disturbed” than the female stereotype. It was concluded that the ACL is a promising method for the definition and study of sex stereotypes.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Bem, S. L. The measurement of psychological androgyny. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 1974, 42, 155–162.
Bem, S. L. Sex-role adaptability: One consequence of psychological androgyny. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 1975, 31, 634–643.
Bennett, S. M. Children's recognition of male and female stereotypes: A developmental analysis. Master's thesis, Wake Forest University, 1973.
Berdie, R. F. A femininity adjective check list. Journal of Applied Psychology, 1959, 43, 327–333.
Broverman, I. K., Broverman, D. M., Clarkson, F. E., Rosenkrantz, P. S., & Vogel, S. R. Sex-role stereotypes and clinical judgements of mental health. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 1970, 34, 1–7.
Fowler, M. G., & de Riet, E. K. V. Women today and yesterday: An examination of the feminist personality. Journal of Psychology, 1972, 82, 269–276.
Gough, H. G., & Heilbrun, A. B. Adjective check list manual. Palo Alto, California: Consulting Psychologists Press. 1965.
Heilbrun, A. B., Jr. Perceived maternal attitudes. masculinity—femininity of the maternal model, and identification as related to incipient psychopathology in adolescent girls. Journal of General Psychology, 1964, 70, 33–40.
Jenkin, N., & Vroegh, K. Contemporary concepts of masculinity and femininity. Psychological Reports, 1969, 25, 679–697.
McKee, J. P., & Sherriffs, A. C. The differential evaluation of males and females. Journal of Personality, 1957, 25, 356–371.
McKee, J. P., & Sherriffs, A. C. Men's and women's beliefs, ideals, and self-concepts. American Journal of Sociology, 1959, 64, 356–363.
Parker, G. V. C. Sex differences in self-description on the Adjective Check List. Educational and Psychological Measurement. 1969, 29, 99–113.
Rosenkrantz, P., Vogel, S., Bee, H., Broverman, I., & Broverman, D. M. Sex-role stereotypes and self-concepts in college students. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 1968, 32, 287–295.
Sherriffs, A. C., & Jarrett, R. F. Sex differences in attitudes about sex differences. Journal of Psychology, 1953, 35, 161–168.
Sherriffs, A. C., & McKee, J. P. Qualitative aspects of beliefs about men and women. Journal of Personality, 1957, 25, 451–464.
Spence, J. T., Helmreich, R., & Stapp, P. The Personal Attributes Questionnaire: A measure of sex-role stereotypes and masculinity—femininity. Catalog of Selected Documents in Psychology, 1974, 4, 43–44.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
This study was conducted as a portion of a Master's thesis at Wake Forest University (Bennett, 1973) conducted by the second author under the direction of the first author. Appreciation is expressed to David A. Hills for his assistance in the clinical interpretation of the sex stereotypes, and for other valuable suggestions.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Williams, J.E., Bennett, S.M. The definition of sex stereotypes via the adjective check list. Sex Roles 1, 327–337 (1975). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00287224
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00287224