Masculine Gender Role Stress Scale (MGRS)

Abstract

The Masculine Gender Role Stress Scale (MGRS) is a 40-item psychometric instrument developed by Eisler and Skidmore in 1987. It is designed to quantify the degree of psychological distress experienced by male individuals when confronted with situations that threaten or violate traditional societal expectations of masculinity. Utilizing a 6-point Likert rating system, the MGRS assesses the perceived stressfulness of specific scenarios across five distinct domains.

The MGRS is a crucial tool in research exploring the link between rigid adherence to gender roles and negative mental health outcomes, including heightened levels of anger, anxiety, and engagement in health-risk behaviors. Its structural organization into five factors allows for a nuanced assessment of role conflict areas: Physical Inadequacy, Emotional Inexpressiveness, Subordination to Women, Intellectual Inferiority, and Performance Failures.

Keywords

Masculine Gender Role Stress, MGRS, Gender Roles, Psychological Measurement, Stress Assessment, Male Psychology, Health-Risk Behaviors, Anxiety, Anger, Masculinity.

Authors

R. M. Eisler, J. R. Skidmore, C. H. Ward, J. A. Blalock.

Purpose

The fundamental objective of the Masculine Gender Role Stress Scale (MGRS) is to precisely quantify the psychological strain experienced by men who perceive themselves as failing to meet traditional, often rigid, societal expectations of manhood. Unlike instruments that merely measure gender identity, the MGRS focuses specifically on the distress that arises from the threat or actual violation of these established masculine norms.

Academically and clinically, the scale serves to identify individuals or populations who may be at elevated risk for developing detrimental health outcomes or employing poor coping mechanisms. Extensive research utilizing the MGRS has consistently demonstrated that high scores are significant predictors of increased anger, anxiety, and a tendency toward health-risk behaviors, thereby establishing gender role stress as a critical factor in understanding male mental and physical well-being.

Construct

The MGRS is designed to measure Masculine Gender Role Stress, which is defined as the negative emotional, physiological, and cognitive reaction elicited by situations that challenge a man’s self-perception of his masculinity or expose him to social disapproval for non-conformity to male stereotypes (such as the expectation of being dominant, emotionally stoic, financially successful, or physically strong).

The construct is theorized to be inherently multidimensional, encompassing both internal psychological fears (e.g., fear of failure or inadequacy) and external situational threats (e.g., being outperformed by a woman). The 40 items of the scale reflect specific, realistic scenarios designed to evoke stress across crucial performance areas expected of men, including vocational success, relational dynamics, physical prowess, and emotional control.

Validity

The development of the MGRS established robust evidence for its validity, beginning with strong construct validity confirmed through exploratory factor analysis, which supported the theoretically derived five-factor structure. Subsequent research has provided substantial evidence for both concurrent and predictive validity across diverse samples.

Concurrent validity is demonstrated by the significant positive correlation between MGRS scores and established measures of general psychological distress and maladjustment, confirming that the scale accurately captures stress specifically related to gender role conflict. Furthermore, predictive validity is supported by findings showing that higher MGRS scores forecast future engagement in various unhealthy and risk-taking behaviors (such as substance abuse) and elevated self-reported levels of chronic anger and anxiety.

Reliability

The Masculine Gender Role Stress Scale exhibits high levels of internal consistency, indicating that the individual items reliably measure the same underlying construct of gender role stress. Original validation studies and subsequent academic applications have consistently reported acceptable to high Cronbach’s alpha coefficients for the total scale score, typically falling within the high .80s or low .90s range.

In addition to the total scale reliability, the five discrete component subscales also demonstrate sufficient internal reliability. This suggests that each factor—such as Subordination to Women or Emotional Inexpressiveness—is a coherent and internally consistent measure of that specific dimension of masculine gender role stress.

Factor Analysis

The MGRS consists of 40 items grouped into five orthogonal factors, which were identified through comprehensive exploratory factor analysis during the scale’s initial development. These factors represent the primary domains where men experience stress related to the failure to achieve traditional masculine ideals:

• Physical Inadequacy: Stress stemming from the perceived lack of physical strength, athletic ability, or being in poor physical condition, challenging the expectation of male physical dominance.
• Emotional Inexpressiveness: Stress experienced in situations demanding emotional vulnerability, such as crying, admitting fear, or expressing hurt feelings, thereby violating the norm of male stoicism and emotional control.
• Subordination to Women: Stress associated with situations where women hold superior professional, financial, or decision-making authority, challenging the traditional expectation of male dominance in hierarchical structures.
• Intellectual Inferiority: Stress linked to perceived deficiencies in occupational skills, intellectual capacity, or the experience of being outperformed academically or professionally by peers or colleagues.
• Performance Failures: Stress related to failure in key performance areas expected of men, particularly sexual dysfunction, significant professional setbacks (such as job loss or lack of promotion), or public competitive losses.

Instrument

Test Type: Psychological Assessment Scale / Self-Report Inventory

Format: 40 items rated on a 6-point Likert scale (1=Not Stressful; 2=Minimally Stressful; 3=Somewhat Stressful; 4=Moderately Stressful; 5=Very Stressful; 6=Extremely Stressful)

Language Available: Primarily English

Population Group: Adult Males

Age Group: Late Adolescence and Adulthood

Population Details: Originally developed and validated on populations including college students and general adult male samples.

Test Methodology: Respondents are instructed to imagine themselves in 40 specific, stress-inducing scenarios described in the items and then rate the perceived level of stress they would experience using the six-point scale.

Keywords

Masculinity, Stressors, Self-Concept, Mental Health, Psychological Assessment, Gender Norms, Role Conflict, Stress Scale, Male Stereotypes.

Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: N/A

Affiliation Email addresses: N/A (Contact for subsequent research using the scale: [email protected])

Correspondence Address: N/A

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

Test Year: 1987 (Initial Publication).

Permissions & Fee: The scale is widely used in non-commercial academic research settings. Researchers intending to utilize the scale should consult the original publication or contact the primary authors for specific permissions, especially if the application is clinical or commercial in nature.

Reference’s

The original PDF of a Ph.D. Dissertation that utilized the MGRS (pages 85-87) can be downloaded here: http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/theses/available/etd-02012007-160430/unrestricted/FinalThesis.pdf

• Eisler, R. M., & Skidmore, J. R. (1987). Masculine gender role stress: Scale development and component factors in the appraisal of stressful situations. Behavior Modification, 11(2), 123-136.
• Eisler, R. M., Skidmore, J. R., & Ward, C. H. (1988) Masculine gender-role stress: Predictor of anger, anxiety, and health-risk behaviors. Journal of Personality Assessment, 52(1), 133-141.
• Eisler, R. M., & Blalock, J. A. (1991). Masculine gender role stress: Implications for the assessment of men. Clinical Psychology Review, 11, 45-60.
• Orbll, Matthew. Macleod, (2013). Anger Management in College Students: A Latent Class Analysis. University of Georgia. Ph.D. Dissertation.

Items of the Masculine Gender Role Stress Scale (MGRS)

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

1. Feeling that you are not in good physical condition.
2. Telling your spouse that you love her/him.
3. Being outperformed at work by a woman.
4. ha‎ving to ask for directions when you are lost.
5. Being unemployed.
6. Not being able to find a sexual partner.
7. ha‎ving a female boss.
8. ha‎ving your lover say that she/he is not satisfied.
9. Letting a woman take control of the situation.
10. Not making enough money.
11. Being perceived by someone as “gay” or “lesbian”.
12. Telling someone that you feel hurt by what they said.
13. Being married to someone who makes more money than you.
14. Working with people who seem more ambitious than you.
15. Finding you lack the occupational skills to succeed.
16. Losing in a sports competition.
17. Admitting that you are afraid of something.
18. Being with a woman who is more successful than you.
19. Talking with a “feminist”.
20. Being unable to perform sexually.
21. Being perceived as ha‎ving feminine traits.
22. ha‎ving your children see you cry.
23. Being outperformed in a game by a woman.
24. ha‎ving people say that you are indecisive.
25. Being too tired for sex when your lover initiates it.
26. Appearing less athletic than a friend.
27. Talking with a woman who is crying.
28. Needing your spouse to work to help support the family.
29. ha‎ving others say that you are too emotional.
30. Being unable to become sexually aroused when you want.
31. Being compared unfavorably to men.
32. Comforting a male friend who is upset.
33. Admitting to your friends that you do housework.
34. Working with people who are brighter than yourself.
35. Getting passed over for a promotion.
36. Knowing you cannot hold your liquor as well as others.
37. ha‎ving a man put his arm around your shoulder.
38. Being with a woman who is much taller than you.
39. Staying home during the day with a sick child.
40. Getting fired from your job.