Constructing and validating variables to measure attitudes of women entering the military craft skills

• Published in: Sex roles Vol. 8; no. 2; pp. 169 - 184
• Main Authors: Adams, John R, Lawrence, Frederick P
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York, N.Y Plenum Pub. Corp 01.02.1982
• Subjects: Attitude/Attitudes/Attitudinal; Military/Militarism/Militarization/ Militarist/ Militarists; Role/Roles; Socialization (see also Socialized); Stereotype/Stereotypes/ Stereotyped/ Stereotyping; Woman/Women (see also Female)
• ISSN: 0360-0025; 1573-2762
• DOI: 10.1007/BF00287921

Role stereotypes & socialization problems of 1,739 Air Force enlisted women serving in previously M-dominated military craft skills are investigated. Women entering nearly all-M occupations experience role conflicts created by social pressures to conform to "appropriate" role standards for job success while remaining "feminine." The role stereotypes investigated are: (1) physical & operational job standards, (2) competency, & (3) overprotection. Job socialization for women workers is explained; variables used to reflect its degree are: supervisory treatment, coworker relations, & job satisfaction. The relationship between the stereotypes & the socialization factors is analyzed using advanced multivariate techniques to determine both the validity of the scales & the relationship between the stereotype & socialization variable sets. Factor analysis demonstrated that the Rs interpreted some questions differently than had been intended by the researchers. The analysis also provides a basis for reconstructing the variables according to the information content in the raw data to more accurately reflect Rs' attitudes. The independent application of canonical r techniques to the logical & the reconstructed variable sets provides the comparison necessary to confirm the study findings. 2 Tables, 2 Figures. Modified AA.