Sex Role Inventory (OSRI)

Abstract

The Sex Role Inventory (OSRI) is an adapted psychological assessment instrument conceptually derived from the pioneering Bem Sex Role Inventory (BSRI). This self-report measure, typically comprising 44 items answered on a 5-point Likert scale, is designed to quantify the degree to which an individual endorses traits traditionally associated with masculinity and femininity. A key feature of the OSRI, mirroring the BSRI, is the treatment of masculinity and femininity as independent dimensions, allowing for complex classifications such as androgynous, sex-typed (masculine or feminine), or undifferentiated sex roles.

The primary function of the OSRI is to classify respondents based on their scores across these two independent dimensions of psychological sex roles. Its items are intended to capture contemporary expressions of gender-linked traits, distinguishing it from the original BSRI while maintaining the core theoretical framework of two-dimensional gender measurement.

Keywords

Sex roles, gender typing, masculinity, femininity, androgyny, psychological assessment, self-report inventory, psychometrics, gender roles.

Authors

The conceptual foundation for this type of inventory was established by Sandra L. Bem (developer of the BSRI). The specific Online Sex Role Inventory (OSRI) adaptation discussed here generally lacks formal academic authorship and is often attributed to anonymous online platform developers. Academic context regarding sex role inventories is provided by T. E. Malloy.

Purpose

The core purpose of the OSRI is to generate a quantitative score representing an individual’s self-perception of traits culturally defined as masculine or feminine. Crucially, the OSRI operates under the principle that masculinity and femininity are orthogonal dimensions—meaning they are not mutually exclusive opposites. This theoretical stance allows for a more nuanced measurement than traditional bipolar scales.

By assessing both dimensions independently, the OSRI enables researchers to categorize individuals based on their combination of scores. This categorization is instrumental in personality and social psychology research, particularly when testing the hypothesis that individuals classified as androgynous (high in both instrumental/masculine and expressive/feminine traits) possess greater behavioral flexibility and superior psychological adjustment compared to sex-typed individuals.

The instrument is utilized to examine how adherence to or deviation from traditional gender roles correlates with various behavioral, cognitive, and adjustment outcomes.

Construct

The OSRI is designed to measure the psychological construct of gender typing, which is theoretically grounded in gender schema theory. This framework posits that individuals develop cognitive schemas that organize their understanding of themselves and the world according to cultural definitions of gender. The scale operationalizes gender typing through two primary, independent dimensions:

• Masculinity (Instrumentality): This dimension encompasses traits associated with agency, competence, dominance, assertiveness, and physical activity (e.g., studying gambling, liking guns, doing push-ups).
• Femininity (Expressiveness): This dimension includes traits related to communion, nurturance, emotional sensitivity, warmth, and interpersonal focus (e.g., giving handmade gifts, knowing friends’ birthdays, saving letters).

The resulting score for each dimension is calculated separately, and the scores are typically compared against median splits derived from a standardization sample, which determines the respondent’s final sex role category (e.g., masculine, feminine, androgynous, or undifferentiated).

Validity

The construct validity and predictive validity of the original Bem Sex Role Inventory (BSRI) are well-documented in academic literature. However, because the OSRI is an online adaptation, specific psychometric validation data for this 44-item variant is often exploratory or generally unavailable in peer-reviewed contexts. The instrument relies on the established theoretical validity of its predecessor: the independent measurement of masculine and feminine traits successfully predicts distinct behavioral outcomes (e.g., masculine traits predict instrumental behavior; feminine traits predict expressive behavior).

While the OSRI exhibits strong face validity—its items clearly reflect common cultural stereotypes regarding male and female activities (e.g., military interest versus decorating)—the lack of formal, published psychometric studies makes it difficult to ascertain the extent to which these modernized items accurately capture the intended underlying dimensions of instrumentality and expressiveness compared to the rigorous standards of the original BSRI.

Reliability

The reliability of the OSRI, as an adaptation, must be evaluated independently from the BSRI, though the original scale demonstrated high internal consistency (alpha coefficients typically exceeding 0.80 for both subscales) and strong test-retest stability. Assuming the OSRI’s 44 items cohere according to the theoretical subscales (Masculine and Feminine), a reliable result would be indicated by high correlations among items within the same subscale.

Due to the OSRI’s frequent circulation in exploratory or non-academic online settings, published data concerning its stability over time (test-retest reliability) is generally absent from peer-reviewed academic journals. Users are cautioned that reliability metrics may fluctuate significantly depending on the specific sample population utilized and the proprietary scoring methodologies employed by the online testing platform.

Factor Analysis

The theoretical cornerstone of the OSRI, inherited from the BSRI, is the independence of the two sex role dimensions. Consequently, a successful factor analysis of the OSRI items must yield two distinct, uncorrelated or only weakly correlated factors: the Masculinity factor and the Femininity factor. This result is necessary to confirm the instrument’s theoretical foundation in two-dimensional sex role measurement.

In practice, factor analysis would be expected to show items reflecting assertiveness or physical dominance (e.g., “I like guns,” “I have considered joining the military”) loading heavily onto the Masculinity factor. Conversely, items related to emotionality or nurturance (e.g., “I use lotion on my hands,” “I leave nice notes for people”) should load onto the Femininity factor. Divergent results might indicate that some modern items do not adhere neatly to the traditional bipolar structure or that the items are measuring other orthogonal personality dimensions.

Instrument

Test Type: Self-Report Personality Inventory

Format: 44 items responded to using a 5-point Likert scale.

Language Available: English (as presented in the source text).

Population Group: General population, typically used with adolescents and adults.

Age Group: Typically 18 years and older (Adults).

Population Details: Non-clinical samples; utilized primarily in personality, social, and developmental psychology research.

Test Methodology: Respondents rate the extent to which each characteristic applies to them (1=Disagree, 3=Neutral, 5=Agree). Scores for the Masculinity and Femininity dimensions are calculated separately, usually by summing or averaging the responses to the respective items. These two scores determine the final sex role classification.

Keywords

Gender typing, psychological traits, expressive behaviors, instrumental behaviors, self-schema, psychometrics, personality testing, Malloy, Bem.

Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: N/A (Authorship of OSRI adaptation is typically anonymous)

Affiliation Email addresses: N/A

Correspondence Address: N/A

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

The Online Sex Role Inventory (OSRI) is frequently circulated as a non-commercial, online adaptation, meaning permissions and fees are generally waived for individual use. However, the original conceptual framework, the Bem Sex Role Inventory (BSRI), requires appropriate permissions and may incur fees for formal research or academic publication, as it is copyrighted. The OSRI itself is not typically subjected to formal peer review or copyright. The reference providing conceptual context for the BSRI concept dates to 2010. The online instrument is available here: http://personality-testing.info/tests/OSRI/

Reference’s

• Malloy‚ T. E. (2010). Bem’s Sex Role Inventory. In Corsini’s Encyclopedia of Psychology‚ I. B. Weiner & W. E. Craighead (Eds). Vol 1.‚ p 229.

Items of the Sex Role Inventory (OSRI)

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

1.    I have studied how to win at gambling.                                           

2.    I have thought about dying my hair.                                              

3.    I have thrown knives‚ axes or other sharp things.                                      

4.    I give people handmade gifts.                                             

5.    I have day dreamed about saving someone from a burning building.

6.    I get embarrassed when people read things I have written.                                             

7.    I have been very interested in historical wars.                                            

8.    I know the birthdays of my friends.                                      

9.    I like guns.                                          

10.I am happiest when I am in my bed.                                             

11.I did not work very hard in school.                                       

12.I use lotion on my hands.                                         

13.I would prefer a class in mathematics to a class in pottery.                                             

14.I dance when I am alone.                                         

15.I have thought it would be exciting to be an outlaw.      

16.When I was a child‚ I put on fake concerts and plays with my friends.

17.I have considered joining the military.                                             

18.I get dizzy when I stand up sharply.                                               

19.I do not think it is normal to get emotionally upset upon hearing about the deaths of people you did not know.                                           

20.I sometimes feel like crying when I get angry.                                           

21.I do not remember birthdays.                                             

22.I save the letters I get.                                             

23.I playfully insult my friends.                                       

24.I oppose medical experimentation with animals.                                        

25.I could do an impressive amount of push ups.                                          

26.I jump up and down in excitement sometimes.                                          

27.I think a natural disaster would be kind of exciting.                                               

28.I wear a blanket around the house.                                      

29.I have burned things up with a magnifying glass.                                        

30.I think horoscopes are fun.                  

31.I don’t pack much luggage when I travel.

32.I have thought about becoming a vegetarian.                                            

33.I hate shopping.                                            

34.I have kept a personal journal.                                            

35.I have taken apart machines just to see how they work.                                       

36.I take lots of pictures of my activities.                                            

37.I have played a lot of video games.                                               

38.I leave nice notes for people now and then.                                              

39.I have set fuels‚ aerosols or other chemicals on fire‚ just for fun.

40.I really like dancing.

41.I take stairs two at a time.                                        

42.I bake sweets just for myself sometimes.                                       

43.I think a natural disaster would be kind of exciting.                                               

44.I decorate my things (e.g. stickers on laptop).                                          

Response Scale: 1-Disagree‚ 3- Neutral‚ 5- Agree