Gender Role Test

The idea behind gender roles is that everyone can express a mix of both feminine and masculine traits. This test aims to assess your behavior and personality in the context of gender roles, exploring both your femininity and masculinity.

In a society, different norms, roles, and behaviors are deemed appropriate based on perceived gender. These expectations influence relationships, family dynamics, education, profession, and personal emotional expressions. These roles and expectations have evolved and continue to change. ^{[2] Scott J. Family and gender roles: how attitudes are changing. Arxius de Ciències Socials. 2006 Sep;15:143-54.}

Modern gender roles reject the notion that certain feelings and responsibilities belong to a particular gender. Psychologists and researchers have recognized the need to study gender roles in modern perspectives and led to the emergence of new studies on human behavior and the development of modern psychometric scales. ^{[3] Sweeting,……. Changing gender roles and attitudes and their implications for well-being around the new millennium.}

Development of Deenz Gender Role scale.

As human behavior is evolving, significant changes in the attitudes toward gender roles and differences have been observed. the traditional notion of gender roles has been criticized and becoming outdated in modern perspectives.

The popular gender roles scale “Bem Sex-Role Inventory (BSRI)” is still valid in measuring gender roles but in the modern continuous evolution, the need for studying gender roles in modern perspectives has been recognized.

In 2021 with my psychology professors, we discussed gender roles and main discussion was about whether human behavior may exhibit both feminine and masculine characteristics. We also discussed validity of traditional Gender role scales proposed by different human behavior researchers. I recognized the need to develop a modern scale that may solve and address the ongoing shifts in attitudes towards gender roles.

Deenz Gender Role scale (DGRS-24) designed to measure how feminine or masculine your personality is based on the social and cultural expectations and norms regarding behavior, responsibilities, and characteristics.

Initial Insights and Literature Review

The development of the scale began with a literature review, during which I gathered information from psychologists in person and consulted existing literature related to gender roles. I examined academic articles and books, which helped establish a solid foundation for the research.

Item Generation

A long item scale can be both boring and confusing, posing a high risk of errors during the validation process. Thus, my primary focus was on crafting short and easy-to-understand items. For item generation, I meticulously studied feminine and masculine characteristics separately. Additionally, I sought guidance from psychologists, who played a crucial role in evaluating the relevance of the items.

Pilot testing was conducted with a small sample to assess the clarity and relevance of the items. In the initial development, there were 97 items. However, after receiving feedback from both pilot testing and experts, 33 items were excluded.

Likert Scale Structure

A Likert scale is a series of statements each with a range of responses. The Likert Scale Structure helped in further reducing the items, participant has to agree or disagree on a 5-point scale. Likert scale provides a reliable and valid measurement of opinions and attitudes.

Expert Consultation and Validation

After the item generation 2nd pilot testing was conducted, and for initial validation, I consulted the experts in the field of psychology, most of whom hold a PhD in psychology, and some of them academic psychology professors.

The items underwent rigorous scrutiny and were reduced to 24, resulting in the final version. The second pilot testing was carried out in a small group of psychology students and the feedback from students provided valuable insights into in the clarity and cultural sensitivity of the statements.

Factor analysis was also employed to understand and identify dimensions with the final version of the scale. This helps in finding the ability to measure a diverse range of emotional expressions and behaviors in the individual.

Reliability Assessment

Cronbach’s alpha was employed in the evaluation of the internal constancy of Deenz Gender Role scale. The Cronbach’s alpha value for the scale was 0.89, indicating a high level of constancy and suggesting the items in the scale are strongly correlated and measuring the intended construction of gender roles.

References

1. Dar, Deen Mohd, Introducing the Deenz Gender Role Scale (DGRS-24): A Comprehensive Measure of Beliefs, Attitudes, and Behaviors Regarding Gender Roles (November 14, 2022). Available at SSRN: http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4748001 ↩

2. Scott, J., 2006. Family and gender roles: how attitudes are changing. Arxius de Ciències Socials, 15, pp.143-154. Google Scholar ↩

3. Sweeting, H., Bhaskar, A., Benzeval, M. et al. Changing gender roles and attitudes and their implications for well-being around the new millennium. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol 49, 791–809 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00127-013-0730-y ↩