SOCIAL SETTING EFFECTS ON GENDER DIFFERENCES IN SELF-ESTEEM - KIBBUTZAND URBAN ADOLESCENTS

The study investigated the effect of two multidimensional systems-name ly social setting and the self-upon adolescents' growth and developmen t. Specifically, we hypothesized that gender differences in adult soci al status ave greater in the kibbutz than in the Israeli urban setting , and that this gap is associated with gender differences in global se lf-esteem among kibbutz youth. The Rosenberg Self-esteem Scale, and sc ales from Marsh's Self-Description Questionnaire III and from Harter's Self-Perception Profile for Adolescents were administered to 569 kibb utz and urban adolescents from Grades 9 to 11. Data on academic achiev ement and parental status was also obtained. Kibbutz mothers were foun d to have significantly lower social status than fathers, while kibbut z girls had significantly lower self-esteem than kibbutz boys and urba n adolescents of both sexes. The organization of the self-concept of k ibbutz females differed from the other groups: self-esteem was predict ed not only from self-concepts in the domains of scholastic achievemen t and peer support but also from the domain of parental support, from academic achievement, and from father's occupational status.