On the gender-typed nature of dominant and submissive acts

Two studies were conducted to determine whether dominant and submissive act s could be considered gender-typed behaviors. These studies were designed t o test three key assumptions stemming from contemporary views of gender rol e socialization: that self-reported dominant and submissive acts are bidime nsional (as opposed to bipolar), that dominant and submissive acts are perc eived to be equally desirable for men and women to perform, and that domina nt acts are perceived to be more stereotypic of men whereas submissive acts are seen as more stereotypic of women. Each of these assumptions was suppo rted. Discussion focuses on the development of shorter versions of the domi nant and submissive act reports, as well as possible directions for determi ning construct validity.