MEASUREMENT OF GENDER ROLE ATTITUDES IN CROSS-CULTURAL YOUTH POPULATIONS

Abstract

Understanding the viewpoints of youth regarding gender roles is necessary to better understand what norms they accept, change, or resist. Global interconnectedness amplifies the necessity to identify commonalities and cultural variations that are part of these viewpoints. The current study was designed to develop and validate a flexible, cross-cultural instrument for measuring gender role attitudes in 15- to 24-year-olds in six hugely different countries. A revised Gender Role Attitude Scale (GRAS) was utilised which included cognitive (beliefs), affective (feelings), and behavioural (actions). We established measurement invariance through Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) and Multi-Group Structural Equation Modelling (MGSEM) to establish that the construct maintains the same meaning across contexts.The data provides similarities and differences: the participants reported consistent preferences for equality in education and work, but the ideas of who should be the primary breadwinners in families, how much women and men should share housework, and the contextual issues of gender identity differed remarkably. Cultural factors including collectivist and individualist values, the degree of religious observance, the impact of media, and educational level shaped these attitudes in meaningful, and sometimes surprising, ways. Given these findings, the research has demonstrated the usefulness of tools that are sensitive to local contexts and that reveal patterns of youth gender attitudes that are broadly common across the youth population. The findings allow policymakers, educators, and international development organizations to tailor the interventions aimed at advancing gender equity and promoting social change in local situations.