ABSTRACT
The concept of loyalty, an item that was highly endorsed by the study respondents, can be used to illustrate cultural differences in conceptions of masculinity and femininity. The Bem Sex Role Inventory (BSRI) defines masculinity and femininity as a series of individual psychological traits or attributes such as "tender," "masculine," or "assertive." But Latino conceptions of masculinity and femininity, are more situational and are best understood within a collective sociocultural context rather than as individual traits. The chapter focuses on whether factors such as the distribution of household chores, marital power or decisionmaking, marital happiness, and interaction with children are related to the Bem masculinity and femininity components and the Mirande sex role traditionalism scale. It suggests that conventional conceptions and measures of gender may have limited applicability for non-majority populations. The guiding hypotheses of the study were generally supported with the Miranda Sex Role Inventory but not with the BSRI, a more conventional measure of masculinity and femininity.
