Self-esteem, maternal employment, and work-family plans are examined in relation to sex role orientations of late adolescents. Data are analyzed from questionnaires administered to 387 males and females. It was found that future work-family plans were closely tied to sex role orientations of adolescents of both sexes. However, self-esteem, evaluation of the relative difficulty of male-female sex roles, and projected childlessness were salient to sex role attitudes of females but not of males. Positive evaluations of self were related to non-traditional sex role orientations among females. Maternal employment differentially affected male and female children. Sons of women in high-status occupations were reluctant to get involved in a two-career family with children. Mothers' occupational status had little influence on the plans or sex role attitudes of daughters. The results indicate that future research should investigate whether maternal employment in high-status occupations, while providing a wider range of acceptable models for girls, may serve as a negative model for boys.
PIP: Sex-role orientations are examined as related to work/family plans, self-esteem, maternal employment, and perceived sex-role difficulty among 206 female and 181 adolescents who were students at a large midwestern university. A 36-item scale developed by Brogan and Kutner was used to measure sex-role orientation. Rosenberg's Self Esteem Scale was used to measure self-esteem. Plans for work and family relationships were assessed with straightforward yes/no questions. Division of labor questions ascertained who had responsibility for tasks including cooking, washing dishes, and car maintenance. Difficulty with sex role was measured with the question about who has the easiest time in our society. The North-Hyatt system of categorizing occupations by status was used. The findings show that traditional sex-role orientations were predominately male, as was higher self-esteem. Women's positive feelings about themselves were related to more liberal sex-role orientations. 44% of the variance in sex-role attitudes of men was explained by the projection of the division of labor in their own family, anticipation of a more egalitarian relationship, anticipation that wives would work full time after marriage and the birth of children, and being older. 40% of the variance in sex-role orientation of women was explained by: 3 variables pertaining to work/family relationships similar to men, and self-esteem, evaluation of the relative difficulty of male/female sex roles, and projected childlessness. Nontraditional sex roles were related to higher self-esteem and belief in the difficulty of the female sex role. With maternal employment, both sexes planned to rear children in a 2-career family. Maternal social status was unrelated to sex-role orientation of women, but for men it was related to the greater likelihood of having traditional plans for the division of labor in their home and the expectation of their wives not working. Among lake adolescent women, nontraditional sex-role orientations were related to higher self-esteem. Those with traditional orientations believed that female sex roles were more difficult than male roles. Self-esteem for men is a better predictor of anxiety and confidence in performance situations. Sex-role orientation for women is perceived by women as more important in defining their self-conception. Explanation for the shift from maternal 2-career families to a 1-career family is given. Future investigations of this impact on male roles is suggested.