A Critical Examination of the Reliability and Validity of a Gender Role Attitude Scale in Flanders (Belgium): What Lessons Can be Learned?

Western societies have shifted toward more egalitarian
gender role attitudes (GRA). Quantitative research on
GRA has been critiqued for not having kept up with societal
changes in GRA. GRA scales are claimed to lack discriminative
power and not fully capture the diversity within nontraditional
attitudes. The present study gives an overview of
the theoretical critiques with regard to GRA scales and empirically
assesses these critiques. A typical example of a
GRA scale measuring adolescents’ GRA in Flanders
(Belgium) is used to test the scale’s quality across three
waves of surveys completed by 4063 early secondary school
students. Our analysis identifies the drawbacks of this particular
scale. First, a ceiling effect was found, with most
respondents being egalitarian. Second, the representativeness
of roles inquired about is restricted; relevant societal
domains are not questioned and most roles are only
questioned for one gender. Third, a gender-binary approach
is dominant. Finally, our results confirm that adolescents
demonstrate ambivalent feelings toward balancing female
employment and motherhood; although paid employment
is encouraged, childcare is prioritized. We recommend that
other researchers critically examine the usability and quality
of GRA scales in today’s society. Using outdated GRA
scales might conceal the ambivalence that adolescents feel
due to new gender inequities. Also, investing in structures
and regulations supporting the work-family balance is key in
further promoting gender equity.