Male and female factor structures of the australian sex-role scale (form A)

Form A of the Personal Description Questionnaire (PDQ), an Australian sex-role scale, was administered to 156 female and 110 male subjects. Scale and subscale means, standard deviations, and gender differences are reported. Factor analyses of the separate male and female data showed a very high degree of correspondence between the factor structures. The analyses yielded four factors, three of which clearly reflected the scales of the PDQ design. Support for the existence of a unitary masculinity dimension was obtained but femininity appears to be more complex. The findings support the view that broad generalized conceptions of masculinity and femininity exist in Australian society and that the PDQ is at least partially successful in tapping them.