General Modern Sexism Scale – Chinese Version

Description

Modern sexism, referred to as contemporary sexism, denotes a contradictory attitude towards women, where there exists a modern belief in equality while simultaneously harboring negative evaluations and feelings rooted in traditional views (Currie, 2010). This modern sexism is also known as subtle sexism, which does not express negative attitudes towards women directly but instead manifests in more nuanced and covert forms. In other words, while it may appear as though there is no bias, underlying stereotypical beliefs still persist (Aronson et al., 2012). Modern sexism is characterized by an exaggeration of gender differences, a lack of respect or favorable feelings towards women, denial of gender discrimination, and opposition to women’s demands for equal rights. Unlike traditional sexism, which overtly expresses contempt for women, modern sexism includes elements of gender equality alongside subtle devaluation of women’s worth. Researchers have noted that contemporary societal gender biases have shifted from overt and traditional expressions to more subtle and covert forms (Swim et al., 1995).

Subtle sexism is often hidden within “reasonable” behaviors, expressed in a more ambiguous and subtle manner. Individuals who hold subtle sexist views may not openly declare women to be inferior to men but defend the existing male-dominated status quo vigorously. For example, those with subtle biases may claim that modern society has significantly improved and that gender inequality no longer exists. They often oppose women’s claims for equal rights and argue that women have already received what they deserve, thus there is no need for the government or society to address their “special” needs.

Authors and Contact Email

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Purpose

The General Modern Sexism Scale (GMSS) is designed to measure attitudes of bias against women across five dimensions: Marriage and Family Gender Bias (FSS), Parental Role Gender Bias (PSS), Occupational Gender Bias (OSS), Social Behavior Gender Bias (SSS), and Educational Gender Bias (ESS). The GMSS consists of 24 items, requiring respondents to answer based on their true thoughts.

Test Year

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Administration Method and Scoring

Responses are scored using a 5-point Likert scale, where 1 indicates strong disagreement and 5 indicates strong agreement. Higher scores indicate greater endorsement of traditional gender roles for women and deeper levels of gender bias, as well as a lower acknowledgment of the injustices women face. The GMSS demonstrates good psychometric properties, with a total questionnaire internal consistency coefficient of 0.859 and internal consistency coefficients for the five sub-dimensions ranging from 0.714 to 0.820.

Reliability and Validity

The total re-test reliability of the GMSS is 0.758, while the re-test reliability for each sub-dimension ranges from 0.631 to 0.744, indicating good reliability. The structure validity and criterion-related validity have also been verified to be good.

Factors and Subscales

– GMSS: 2.898 ± 0.552
– FSS: 2.887 ± 0.709
– PSS: 2.415 ± 0.653
– OSS: 2.679 ± 0.719
– SSS: 3.387 ± 0.868
– ESS: 3.124 ± 0.713

Keywords

Modern Sexism, Gender Bias, General Modern Sexism Scale, Subtle Sexism, Gender Equality

Items in Chinese

1. 妈妈比爸爸更适合给婴儿换尿布。
2. 男生比女生更适合学习理科类专业。
3. 在家庭中男主外，女主内比较合适。
4. 招聘时“优先考虑男生”的要求是合理的。
5. 在校外活动中陪伴孩子绝大多数应该是母亲的责任。
6. 女强人往往难以兼顾家庭而做一个好妻子。
7. 和男人相比,在公共场合女人更应该注意自己的行为举止。
8. 女性不适合建筑类职业。
9. 男生比女生的学习潜力大。
10. 女性更应该注重自己的着装。
11. 在教育孩子方面母亲比父亲的责任更重。
12. 对重大家庭事件,还是应该由丈夫主导决策。
13. 女性比男性更适合从事服务类行业的工作。
14. 孩子随父姓是天经地义的。
15. 男性比女性更适合担任领导职务。
16. 在家庭中，妻子做家务是比较合适的。
17. 在招生中，有些专业不考虑女生是有其合理性的。
18. 女人更应该注重自己的日常生活规律。
19. 男性的薪酬高是他们应得的。
20. 男性比女性更适合科研技术类工作。
21. 在现实生活中，大多数夫妻还是希望生个男孩。
22. 父亲比母亲拥有更大的权威来教养小孩。
23. 与女孩相比，对于一个家庭来说支持男孩读大学更重要。
24. 女性更适合学文科。

Items in English

1. Mothers are more suited than fathers to change diapers for infants.
2. Boys are better suited than girls to study science and technology majors.
3. In the family, it’s more suitable for men to work outside and women to manage the household.
4. The requirement of “priority consideration for boys” in hiring is reasonable.
5. Most of the responsibility for accompanying children at outdoor activities should belong to mothers.
6. Strong women often find it difficult to balance family and being a good wife.
7. Compared to men, women should pay more attention to their behavior in public places.
8. Women are unsuitable for construction-related professions.
9. Boys have greater learning potential than girls.
10. Women should pay more attention to their attire.
11. Regarding the education of children, mothers have a greater responsibility than fathers.
12. Important family events should still be decided by the husband.
13. Women are more suitable than men for service-oriented jobs.
14. It is natural for children to inherit their father’s surname.
15. Men are more suitable than women for leadership positions.
16. In the household, it is more appropriate for wives to do housework.
17. In admissions, it is reasonable for some majors to not consider girls.
18. Women should pay more attention to their daily routines.
19. Men’s higher salaries are what they deserve.
20. Men are better suited than women for research and technology-related jobs.
21. In real life, most couples still prefer to have a boy.
22. Fathers have greater authority than mothers in parenting.
23. Supporting boys to attend university is more important for a family than supporting girls.
24. Women are more suited to study liberal arts.

References

贾凤芹. 大学生性别偏见内隐与外显双系统研究[D]. 江苏:苏州大学,2013. DOI:10.7666/d.D441499.