Sex‐trait stereotypes in England, Ireland and the United States

Abstract

The item pool of the Adjective Check List (ACL) was used in an assessment of male and female sex-trait stereotypes in England, Ireland and the United States. Subjects were 50 men and 50 women university students in each of the three countries. The general finding was a high degree of cross-national similarity in the traits ascribed to men and to women, although the male and female stereotypes were not as highly differentiated in Ireland as in the two other countries. An ACL need analysis of the male and female stereotypes common to all three countries revealed that the male stereotype was markedly higher on needs for autonomy, exhibition, aggression and dominance; and moderately higher on achievement and endurance. The female stereotype was markedly higher on needs for deference, abasement, succourance, and nurturance; and moderately higher on affiliation, intraception, and heterosexuality. Projected studies of sex-trait stereotypes in countries of greater historical and linguistic diversity were discussed.