SELF-ESTEEM AND ATTITUDES TOWARD GENDER-ROLES - CONTRIBUTING FACTORS IN ADOLESCENTS

A study involving 333 adolescents aged from 13 to 17 was carried out t o investigate whether or not self-esteem mediates the relationship bet ween sex and gender role attitudes, and to investigate several factors which might be related to self-esteem and to attitudes toward gender roles. Gender-role self-attributions and socio-demographic factors wer e considered. Young female adolescents with low levels of positive fem inine attributes and high levels of negative feminine attributes were most likely to have low self-esteem; young male adolescents with low l evels of feminine characteristics were most likely to hold stereotyped attitudes to gender roles. Self-esteem was not found to be a moderato r of gender role attitudes, and gender roles made a considerable contr ibution to the variance in self-esteem. The results are discussed with regard to the contribution of negative gender characteristics to well -being, and the tack of discrimination between females and males shown by these negative scales. It is suggested that negative ''feminine'' characteristics are equally undesirable for girls and boys, and that i t is no longer appropriate to give them a gender label.