Ambivalent Sexism Inventory (ASI)

Abstract

The Ambivalent Sexism Inventory (ASI) is a widely utilized psychological instrument designed to measure the construct of Ambivalent Sexism. Developed by Peter Glick and Susan T. Fiske, the scale differentiates between two distinct yet correlated components of prejudice toward women: Hostile Sexism (overt antagonism) and Benevolent Sexism (subjectively positive but restrictive attitudes). The ASI is crucial for understanding how traditional gender ideology maintains inequality through both punitive and protective means, making it a cornerstone of research in social psychology and gender studies.

Keywords

Ambivalent Sexism Inventory, Hostile Sexism, Benevolent Sexism, Gender Stereotypes, Social Psychology, Sexism, Prejudice, Psychometrics

Authors

Peter Glick, Susan T. Fiske

Purpose

The primary purpose of the Ambivalent Sexism Inventory is to differentiate and quantify the two facets of sexism directed toward women. Prior measures often focused only on overtly negative attitudes. Glick and Fiske posited that sexism is inherently ambivalent, arising from the structural interdependence between men and women, which simultaneously requires cooperation (leading to benevolence) and competition or hierarchy (leading to hostility).

By measuring both Hostile Sexism and Benevolent Sexism, the ASI allows researchers to explore complex phenomena, such as why perpetrators of hostility might simultaneously express adoration or protective attitudes toward women, thereby justifying traditional gender roles and maintaining power imbalances.

Construct

The ASI measures the theoretical construct of Ambivalent Sexism, which views sexism as a multidimensional ideology composed of two interlinked factors:

• Hostile Sexism (HS): This component reflects overt antipathy toward women who are perceived as usurping men’s power or violating traditional gender roles. It is characterized by negative beliefs, such as the idea that women are manipulative, overly sensitive, or seek unfair advantages over men. Hostile Sexism (1) is the explicitly negative dimension of gender prejudice.

• Benevolent Sexism (BS): This component is characterized by subjectively positive, protective, and adoring attitudes toward women who fulfill traditional roles (e.g., homemaker, mother). While seemingly complimentary, Benevolent Sexism (1) is patronizing and restrictive, serving to keep women subordinate by framing them as weak, pure, or needing male protection. This dimension is further divided into three subcomponents: Protective Paternalism (P), Complementary Gender Differentiation (G), and Heterosexual Intimacy (I).

Validity

The Ambivalent Sexism Inventory has demonstrated substantial cross-cultural validity. Studies utilizing the ASI across dozens of nations confirm that Hostile Sexism and Benevolent Sexism are distinct, yet positively correlated, factors. This correlation confirms that both dimensions share a common ideological root in patriarchy, even though they manifest differently.

The scale exhibits strong predictive and concurrent validity, correlating predictably with measures of support for traditional gender roles, political conservatism, and negative attitudes toward feminism. Furthermore, the ASI has been shown to predict discrimination, particularly in contexts where either overt hostility or subtle paternalism is activated.

Reliability

The ASI demonstrates high internal consistency across a variety of populations and cultural contexts, indicating excellent reliability for both primary factors. The Cronbach’s Alpha coefficients reported in the original research and subsequent studies are consistently robust.

• Hostile Sexism (HS): Internal consistency (alpha) typically ranges from 0.83 to 0.92.

• Benevolent Sexism (BS): Internal consistency (alpha) typically ranges from 0.73 to 0.92.

Factor Analysis

Factor analysis of the ASI consistently supports a two-factor structure, corresponding directly to Hostile Sexism and Benevolent Sexism, confirming the theoretical model proposed by Glick and Fiske (1996).

Benevolent Sexism itself is a higher-order factor composed of three empirically distinct subfactors:

• Protective Paternalism (P): The belief that men should protect and provide for women.

• Complementary Gender Differentiation (G): The belief that women possess superior moral or cultural qualities but are different from men (e.g., more pure or refined).

• Heterosexual Intimacy (I): The idea that men are incomplete without women and that relationships are essential for fulfillment, thereby encouraging dependence.

Instrument

Test Type: Self-report Psychological Scale

Format: Typically a 22-item inventory (21 items listed in the source material provided) rated on a Likert scale.

Language Available: Widely translated and validated in numerous languages (e.g., Spanish, German, Japanese, Arabic) for cross-cultural research.

Population Group: General adult population and college students.

Age Group: Adolescence through adulthood.

Population Details: The ASI is frequently used in international studies focusing on the prevalence and impact of gender ideology across diverse societal structures.

Test Methodology: Respondents indicate their level of agreement with each statement using a 6-point Likert scale (0 – disagree strongly; 1 – disagree somewhat; 2 – disagree slightly; 3 – agree slightly; 4 – agree somewhat; 5 – agree strongly). Scores for Hostile Sexism and Benevolent Sexism are calculated by averaging the scores of their respective items, after specific items are reverse-scored.

Keywords

Gender roles, Ambivalence, Stereotyping, Paternalism, Social cognition, Psychological measurement, Cross-cultural research, Discrimination

Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: N/A

Affiliation Email addresses: N/A

Correspondence Address: N/A

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

Test Year: 1996 (Original publication).

Permissions & Fee: The Ambivalent Sexism Inventory is typically available for non-commercial academic research use, contingent upon proper citation of the original authors (Glick & Fiske, 1996).

The instrument can be found online at: Glick and Fiske, 1996. The original PDF containing measures of stereotyping and prejudice can be downloaded here: Measures of Stereotyping and Prejudice (PDF).

Reference’s

• Fiske, S.T., & North, M.S. (2014). Measures of stereotyping and prejudice: Barometers of bias. In G. Boyle & D. Saklofske (Eds.), Measures of Personality & Social Psychological Constructs, 684-718 : DOI: 10.1016/B978-0-12-386915-9.00024-3

• Fiske, Susan T. (2000). Stereotyping, prejudice, and discrimination at the seam between the centuries: evolution, culture, mind, and brain. European Journal of Social Psychology; 30: 299-322

• Glick P., & Fiske S. T. (1996). The Ambivalent Sexism Inventory: Differentiating hostile and benevolent sexism. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 70(3), 491–512.

• Glick, P. & Fiske, S. T. (2001). Ambivalent sexism. In M. P. Zanna (Ed.), Advances in experimental social psychology (Vol. 33, pp 115-188). Thousand Oaks, CA: Academic.

• Glick, P., & Fiske, S. T. (2011). Ambivalent sexism revisited. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 35(3), 530-535.

Items of the Ambivalent Sexism Inventory (ASI)

IMPORTANT: The following scale items must be preserved in their original language and must not be changed in any way.

Scoring Notes: H = Hostile Sexism, B = Benevolent Sexism, (P) = Protective Paternalism, (G) = Complementary Gender Differentiation, (I) = Heterosexual Intimacy.

1. No matter how accomplished he is, a man is not truly complete as a person unless he has the love of a woman. B(1)

2. Many women are actually seeking special favors, such as hiring policies that favour them over men, under the guise of asking for “equality”. H

3. In a disaster, women ought not necessarily to be rescued before men. B(P)

4. Most women interpret innocent remarks or acts as being sexist. H 4

5. Women are too easily offended. H

6. People are often truly happy in life without being romantically involved with a member of the other sex. B(I)

7. Feminists are not seeking for women to have more power than men. H

8. Many women have a quality of purity that few men possess. B(G)

9. Women should be cherished and protected by men. B(P)

10. Most women fail to appreciate fully all that men do for them. H

11. Women seek to gain power by getting control over men. H

12. Every man ought to have a woman whom he adores. B(I)

13. Men are complete without women. B(I)

14. Women exaggerate problems they have at work. H

15. Once a woman gets a man to commit to her, she usually tries to put him on a tight leash. H

16. When women lose to men in a fair competition, they typically complain about being discriminated against. H

17. A good woman should be set on a pedestal by her man. B(P)

18. There are actually very few women who get a kick out of teasing men by seeming sexually available and then refusing male advances. H

19. Women, compared to men, tend to have superior moral sensibility. B(G)

20. Men should be willing to sacrifice their own wellbeing in order to provide financially for the women in their lives. B(P)

21. Feminists are making entirely reasonable demands of men. H

22. Women, as compared to men, tend to have a more refined sense of culture and good taste. B(G)

Response Scale: 0 – disagree strongly; 1 – disagree somewhat; 2 – disagree slightly; 3 – agree slightly; 4 – agree somewhat; 5 – agree strongly

Reverse Scored Items (as listed in source): 3, 6, 7, 13, 18, and 21.

Hostile Sexism Score: Average the following items: 2, 4, 5, 7, 10, 11, 14, 15, 16, 18, and 21.

Benevolent Sexism Score: Average the following items: 1, 3, 6, 8, 9, 12, 13, 17, 19, 20, and 22.