Skip to main content
Log in

On the importance of being masculine: Sex role, attribution, and women's career achievement

  • Published:
Sex Roles Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The present study investigated the relation between sex-role identification and career achievement in working women. Women classified as feminine in Bem's Sex Role Inventory achieved less in their careers, attributed their career performance less to ability and effort, and had parents with lower educational expectations for them than women classified as masculine. Multiple regression analysis of a number of correlates revealed that education level and masculinity were the only significant predictors of career achievement in women. When education was not included in the regression analysis, both masculinity and the absence of femininity predicted women's achievement.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Bardwick, J. Psychology of women: A study of bio-cultural conflicts. New York: Harper & Row., 1971.

    Google Scholar 

  • Barnett, R. C., & Baruch, G. K. The competent woman: Perspective on development. New York: Irvington, 1978.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bem, S. L. The measurement of psychological androgyny. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology 1974, 42 155–162.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bem, S. L. Sex role adaptability: One consequence of psychological androgyny. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 1975, 31 634–643.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bem, S. L. Probing the promise of androgyny. In A. G. Kaplan & J. P. Bean (Eds.), Beyond sex role stereotypes. Boston: Little, Brown, 1976.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bem, S. L. On the utility of alternative procedures for assessing psychological androgyny. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology 1977, 45 196–205.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bem, S. L. The short Bem Sex Role Inventory. Palo Alto: Consulting Psychologists Press, 1978.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bem, S. L., & Lenney, E. Sex typing and the avoidance of cross sex behavior. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 1976, 33 48–54.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bem, S. L., Martyna, W., & Watson, C. Sex typing and androgyny: Further explorations of the expressive domain. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 1976, 34 1016–1023.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bernard, J. The future of marriage. New York: World-Times, 1972.

    Google Scholar 

  • Crandall, N. C. Sex differences in expectancy of intellectual and academic reinforcement. In C. P. Smith (Ed.), Achievement-related motives in children. New York: Russell Sage, 1969.

    Google Scholar 

  • Deaux, K. Sex: A perspective on the attribution process. In J. H. Harvey, W. J. Ickes, & R. F. Kidd (Eds.), New directions in attribution research. Hillsdale, N.J.: Erlbaum, 1976.

    Google Scholar 

  • Farmer, H. S., & Fyans, L. J., Jr. Women's achievement and career motivation: Their risk taking patterns, home-career conflict, role orientation, fear of success, and self-concept. In L. J. Fyans, Jr. (Ed.), Achievement motivation: Recent trends in theory and research. New York: Plenum, 1980.

    Google Scholar 

  • Feather, N. T. Attribution of responsibility and valence of success and failure in relation to initial confidence and task performance. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 1969, 13 129–144.

    Google Scholar 

  • Frieze, I. H., Johnson, P. B., Parsons, J. E., Ruble, D. N., & Zellman, G. L. Women and sex roles: A social psychological perspective. New York: Norton, 1978.

    Google Scholar 

  • Frieze, I. H., Whitley, B. E., Hanusa, B. H., & McHugh, M. C. Assessing the theoretical models for sex differences in causal attributions for success and failure. Sex Roles 1982, 8 333–343.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gaddy, C. D., Glass, C. R., & Arnkoff, D. B. Career involvement of women in dual-career families: The influence of sex role identity. Journal of Counseling Psychology 1983, 30 388–394.

    Google Scholar 

  • Helmreich, R. L., Spence, J. T., & Holahan, C. K. Psychological androgyny and sex role flexibility: A test of two hypotheses. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 1979, 37 1631–1644.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hoffman, D. M., & Fidell, L. S. Characteristics of androgynous, undifferentiated, masculine, and feminine middle-class women. Sex Roles 1979, 5 765–781.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hoffman, L. W., & Nye, I. Working mothers. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1975.

    Google Scholar 

  • Horner, M. Sex differences in achievement motivation and performance in competitive and noncompetitive situations. Doctoral dissertation, University of Michigan, 1968. (University Microfilms No. 69-113, 135).

  • Horner, M. S. Toward an understanding of achievement related conflicts in women. Journal of Social Issues 1972, 28 157–175.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kaufman, D. R., & Richardson, B. L. Achievement and women: Challenging the assumptions. New York: Free Press, 1982.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lenney, E. Androgyny: Some audacious assertions toward its coming of age. Sex Roles 1979, 5 703–719. (a)

    Google Scholar 

  • Lenney, E. Concluding comments on androgyny: Some limitations on its mature development. Sex Roles 1979, 5 829–840. (b)

    Google Scholar 

  • Lippa, R., & Beauvais, C. Gender jeopardy: The effects of gender assessed femininity and masculinity, and false success/failure feedback on performance in an experimental quiz game. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 1983, 44 344–353.

    Google Scholar 

  • Locksley, A., & Colten, J. E. Psychological androgyny: A case of mistaken identity? Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 1979, 6 1017–1031.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lubinski, D., Tellegen, A., & Butcher, J. N. The relationship between androgyny and subjective indicators of emotional well-being. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 1981, 40 722–730.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lubinski, D., Tellegen, A., & Butcher, J. N. Masculinity, femininity, and androgyny viewed and assessed as distinct concepts. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 1983, 44 428–439.

    Google Scholar 

  • Maccoby, E. E., & Jacklin, C. N. The psychology of sex differences. Stanford: Stanford University Press, 1974.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mednick, T. S., Tangri, S. S., & Hoffman, L. W. Women and achievement. Washington, D.C.: Hemisphere Publishing, 1975.

    Google Scholar 

  • Neugarten, B. Adult personality: Toward a psychology of the life cycle. In B. Neugarten (Ed.), Middle age and aging. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1968.

    Google Scholar 

  • O'Leary, V. Toward understanding women. Monterey, Calif.: Brooks-Cole, 1977.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pedhazur, E. J., & Tetenbaum, T. J. Bem Sex Role Inventory: A theoretical and methodological critique. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 1979, 37 996–1016.

    Google Scholar 

  • Spence, J. T., & Helmreich, R. L. Masculinity and femininity: The psychological dimensions, correlates, and antecedents. Austin: University of Texas Press, 1978.

    Google Scholar 

  • Weiner, B. Achievement motivation and attribution theory. Morristown, N.J.: General Learning Press, 1974.

    Google Scholar 

  • Weiner, B. A theory of motivation for some classroom experiences. Journal of Educational Psychology 1979, 71(1), 3–25.

    Google Scholar 

  • Weiner, B., Frieze, I., Kukla, A., Reed, L., Rest, S., & Rosenbaum, R. M. Perceiving the causes of success and failure. In E. E. Jones, D. E. Kanouse, H. H. Kelley, R. E. Nisbett, S. Valins, & B. Weiner (Eds.), Attribution: Perceiving the causes of behavior. Morristown, N.J.: General Learning Press, 1972.

    Google Scholar 

  • Weiner, B., Russell, D., & Lerman, D. Affective consequences of causal ascriptions. In J. H. Harvey, W. J. Ickes, & R. F. Kidd (Eds.), New directions in attribution research (Vol. 2), Hillsdale, N.J.: Erlbaum, 1978.

    Google Scholar 

  • Welch, R. L., & Huston, A. C. Effects of induced success/failure and attributions on the solving behavior of psychologically androgynous and feminine women. Journal of Personality 1982, 50 81–97.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Additional information

This study is based on an honor's thesis by Gail E. Kettlewell and is supported by a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council grant to P. T. P. Wong.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Wong, P.T.P., Kettlewell, G. & Sproule, C.F. On the importance of being masculine: Sex role, attribution, and women's career achievement. Sex Roles 12, 757–769 (1985). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00287869

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00287869

Keywords

Navigation