Gender differences: examination of the 12-item bem sex role inventory (BSRI-12) in an older Brazilian population

• Published in: PloS one 2013-10, Vol.8 (10), p.e76356-e76356
• Main Authors: Carver, Lisa F, Vafaei, Afshin, Guerra, Ricardo, Freire, Aline, Phillips, Susan P
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adults; Age Factors; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Aging; Alcohol; Analysis; Androgyny; Brazil; Epidemiology; Factor analysis; Female; Femininity; Gender; Gender aspects; Gender differences; Gender Identity; Genetic aspects; Geriatrics; Humans; Leadership; Male; Masculinity; Older people; Personality; Personality Inventory; Physiological aspects; Principal components analysis; Psychometrics; Quantitative psychology; Researchers; Sex; Sex differences; Sex differences (Biology); Sex role; Sex roles; Students; Women
• ISSN: 1932-6203; 1932-6203
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0076356

Although gender is often acknowledged as a determinant of health, measuring its components, other than biological sex, is uncommon. The Bem Sex Role Inventory (BSRI) quantifies self-attribution of traits, indicative of gender roles. The BSRI has been used with participants across cultures and countries, but rarely in an older population in Brazil, as we have done in this study. Our primary objective was to determine whether the BSRI-12 can be used to explore gender in an older Brazilian population. The BSRI was completed by volunteer participants, all community dwelling adults aged 65+ living in Natal, Brazil. Exploratory factor analysis was performed, followed by a varimax rotation (orthogonal solution) for iteration to examine the underlying gender roles of feminine, masculine, androgynous and undifferentiated, and to validate the BSRI in older adults in Brazil. The 278 participants, (80 men, 198 women) were 65-99 years old (average 73.6 for men, 74.7 for women). Age difference between sexes was not significant (p = 0.22). A 12 item version of the BSRI (BSRI-12) previously validated among Spanish seniors was used and showed validity with 5 BSRI-12 items (Cronbach=0.66) loading as feminine, 6 items (Cronbach=0.51) loading onto masculine roles and neither overlapping with the category of biological sex of respondent. Although the BSRI-12 appears to be a valid indicator of gender among elderly Brazilians, the gender role status identified with the BSRI-12 was not correlated with being male or female.