The Differential Evaluation of Males and Females

In the literature on sex diff's, & from questionnaires marked by diff sex & age groups, the more favorable position of the M is, for the most part, taken for granted. From a series of studies, it is found that absolute signif cannot be attached to scores where choice of answer has been forced. In one study, a check list of 200 adjectives was used. Such a procedure simply accentuates the preference already present. The conclusions that the S's think unfavorably of women is dubious; that they think less favorably of women than of men is highly probable. Under conditions of unforced choice (using a 6-point rating scale), scores indicated that on the average both men & women ascribe a signif'ly larger number of unfavorable adjectives to F's than to M's. The most obvious finding is that both men & women are favorable to both M's & F's, but signif'ly more to M's. Results of the rating scales indicate that most S's will, if given a chance, deny partiality for either sex. The adjective check list suggests that partiality for M's is more marked on the part of women than men. The latter hypo remains tentative due to limited samples & adjectives used. A 3rd hypo, suggested by the open-end data, is that women are extremists. Modified MFL.