GUATEMALAN, FILIPINO, AND UNITED-STATES ADOLESCENTS IMAGES OF WOMEN AS OFFICE WORKERS AND HOMEMAKERS

Although adolescents of different countries often draw pictures of the ideal woman cooking or working in an office, the meaning of the image s may vary cross-culturally. In the present study, 88 adolescents from the Philippines, the U.S.A., and Guatemala interpreted drawings by th eir same-nationality peers. Interpreters from all three countries desc ribed the woman working in an office as hardworking and the woman cook ing as a mother cooking for her family. In addition, Filipino adolesce nts wrote themes of contentment and organization, Guatemalan adolescen ts wrote themes of betterment, family, and hope, and U.S.A. adolescent s wrote themes of contentment and niceness. Similar images of women's roles may have different meanings for adolescents of different culture s, and the use of emic approaches can provide psychological researcher s with increased understanding of complex social phenomena.