A comparative study of feminine role perceptions, selected personality characteristics, and traditional attitudes of professional women and housewives
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Abstract
Problem. The purpose of this study was two fold: first, to determine whether housewives, elementary education majors, doctoral students in education, and medical students, differ significantly in terms of feminine role perception and selected idiographic characteristics; and second, to determine whether women oriented toward occupations that conform to traditional feminine role expectations differ significantly from women oriented toward occupations that do not conform to traditional feminine role expectations in terms of feminine role perception and selected idiographic characteristics. Procedures and Sources of Data. The sample selected to participate in this study consisted of 120 adult females. Differentiated on the basis of occupational orientation, four groups of thirty members each were studied. The four subsample groups were defined as (1) housewives with bachelor's degrees; (2) elementary education majors at the junior level; (3) doctoral students in education; and (4) medical students. The four subsample groups were matched for age and race. The entire sample responded to four instruments. The Fand Role Inventory was employed as a measure of feminine role perception. The California Psychological Inventory and the Traditionalism Scale were utilized as measures of idiographic characteristics. Eighteen measures of personality were derived from the California Psychological Inventory. The Traditionalism Scale was administered twice. The subjects' attitudes toward certain social issues, and attitudes toward social issues that subjects attributed to society were derived from the Traditionalism Scale. Each subject responded to a Personal Data Inventory. Housewives and elementary education majors were classified 'conformistic' to traditional feminine role expectations. Doctoral students and medical students were classified 'non-conformistic.' Statistical treatment of data involved testing for significant differences among the four subsample groups. Likewise, data was analyzed to test for significant differences between the groups defined as 'conformistic' and 'nonconformistic.' [...]