Antecedents of work and family role expectations of college men.

A sample of 190 male college juniors and seniors completed a questionnaire regarding their orientation toward work, marriage, and family life as well as their experiences while growing up in their family of origin. The self-report questionnaire also included measures assessing various psychological dimensions that have previously been associated with orientations to work and family roles in studies of college women. Results indicate that an orientation toward a marriage and family lifestyle in which traditionally divided roles are shared by both spouses is associated with father's participation in household work, a perception of oneself and one's friends as being more liberal regarding work and family role attitudes, and higher levels of expressiveness. The study supports social learning theory concepts as they relate to the development of gender role ideology.