Neo-Sexism Scale (NS)

Abstract

The Neo-Sexism Scale (NS) is an 11-item psychological instrument developed by Tougas and colleagues in 1995 to assess contemporary and subtle forms of sexism, often termed neo-sexism. Unlike older measures targeting overt hostility, the NS specifically captures attitudes characterized by the denial that ongoing gender discrimination persists and the expression of resentment toward women advocating for greater equality. This scale is vital for social psychological research, enabling the study of modern prejudice that exists even within societies ostensibly committed to egalitarian principles.

Keywords

Neo-sexism, Modern Sexism, Subtle Prejudice, Attitudes toward Women, Denial of Discrimination, Gender Equality, Social Psychology, Likert Scale, Workplace Discrimination.

Authors

Francine Tougas, Richard Brown, Anne M. Beaton, Suzanne Joly.

Purpose

The primary objective of the Neo-Sexism Scale is to reliably quantify the degree to which individuals endorse attitudes representative of neo-sexism. This instrument fills a crucial gap left by traditional measures of hostile or benevolent sexism, which failed to capture the subtle resistance to women’s advancement observed in modern social contexts. The NS focuses on the belief that gender equity has been achieved, thus positioning demands for further change as exaggerated or unwarranted.

The development of the NS was a direct response to societal shifts where overt expressions of prejudice became socially unacceptable. By measuring this covert bias, the NS allows researchers to quantify resistance to social change regarding gender roles and opportunities, particularly in professional, academic, and organizational settings.

Construct

The Neo-Sexism Scale operationalizes the psychological construct of Neo-sexism. Neo-sexism represents a modern, more palatable manifestation of sexism, primarily characterized by resistance to the consequences of social change rather than overt hostility. This construct is generally understood to comprise three interconnected dimensions, which are reflected in the scale items:

• Denial of Discrimination: The conviction that systemic gender-based discrimination is no longer a serious issue, particularly within the labor force.
• Resentment of Women’s Demands: The feeling that women’s pursuit of equality is excessive, suggesting they seek unfair advantages or are overreaching their societal roles.
• Antagonism toward Positive Action: Opposition to policies aimed at promoting gender equity (e.g., affirmative action), based on the belief that such measures unfairly disadvantage men or lead to the preferential hiring of underqualified women.

This construct is fundamentally rooted in defending the existing social hierarchy and resisting meaningful social mobility for women, distinct from traditional derogatory stereotyping.

Validity

Extensive research utilizing the Neo-Sexism Scale has established robust evidence for its external and Construct Validity. NS scores consistently demonstrate positive correlations with other measures of contemporary bias, such as modern racism, confirming convergent validity. Crucially, the scale exhibits appropriate discriminant validity by showing weaker correlations with measures of traditional, overt sexism, confirming that it captures a unique, subtle form of prejudice.

Furthermore, the NS possesses strong criterion validity, proving successful in predicting real-world behaviors and attitudes. High scores on the NS are associated with tangible outcomes, including negative evaluations of female leadership, generalized opposition to policies designed to promote gender equity, and active resistance to women’s advancement in fields traditionally dominated by men.

Reliability

The Neo-Sexism Scale consistently demonstrates good internal consistency, a key indicator of reliability, across diverse populations and settings. Academic studies, such as those conducted by Tougas et al. (1999), typically report Cronbach’s alpha coefficients ranging from 0.70 to 0.85. This range confirms that the 11 items cohere effectively, measuring a singular, stable, underlying construct of contemporary sexist attitudes, ensuring the measure is dependable for research applications.

Factor Analysis

While the conceptual framework of neo-sexism suggests a multi-dimensional structure encompassing denial, resentment, and antagonism, the scale is most frequently employed and validated as a uni-dimensional measure, yielding one total score for overall neo-sexist attitudes in applied research. Factor analyses often support this interpretation, reflecting the scale’s derivation from established modern racism instruments, which similarly capture an overarching factor of subtle prejudice.

Nonetheless, some exploratory analyses have occasionally identified separate factors corresponding to the conceptual components. Researchers must consider the specific requirements of their study when deciding whether to use the total score or explore potential sub-dimensions, though the primary use remains the comprehensive single-score measurement of resistance to equality.

Instrument

Test Type: Self-report attitude measure.

Format: 11 items typically rated on a Likert Scale, often ranging from 1 to 7 (1=total disagreement, 7=total agreement) or 1 to 5 (1=Strongly Disagree, 5=Strongly Agree).

Language Available: Primarily English and French, reflecting the Canadian origins of the original authors and validation studies.

Population Group: General adult population, frequently utilized in organizational psychology and social psychology research involving university students, employees, and managers.

Age Group: Adolescents and Adults (typically 18 years and older).

Population Details: Initially validated using Canadian samples, the NS has since been applied and studied internationally to assess subtle gender bias.

Test Methodology: The calculation involves summing the responses across all 11 items to obtain a total score. To control for response bias, specific items marked with an asterisk (*) must be reverse-scored before summation. This instrument can be found online at: http://rpackages.ianhowson.com/rforge/DeducerPSY220/man/nss.html

Keywords

Social Attitudes, Workplace Bias, Organizational Psychology, Psychological Measurement, Neo-sexism, Construct Validity, Gender Roles, Modern Prejudice, Subtle Discrimination.

Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: Not specified.

Affiliation Email addresses: Not specified.

Correspondence Address: Not specified.

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

The Neo-Sexism Scale is published primarily within academic literature and is generally available for non-commercial research purposes. Researchers utilizing the scale are expected to provide appropriate citation of the original works by Tougas and colleagues. Typically, no specific fee structure or formal permission process is required for academic or non-profit use.

Test Year: 1995 (Year of primary publication detailing the scale development and conceptualization).

Reference’s

• Tougas‚ F.‚ Brown‚ R.‚ Beaton‚ A. M.‚ & Joly‚ S. (1995). Neosexism: Plus ça change‚ plus c’est pareil. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin‚ 21(8)‚ 842-849.
• Beaton‚ A. M.‚ Tougas‚ F.‚ & Joly‚ S. (1996). Neosexism among male managers: Is it a matter of numbers? Journal of Applied Social Psychology‚ 26(24)‚ 2189-2203.
• Campbell‚ Bernadette E.‚ Schellenberg‚ Glenn.‚ Senn‚ ch‎arlene Y. (1997). Evaluating Sexism of contemporary Sexism. Psychology of Women Quarterly‚ 21‚ 89-102.
• Tougas‚ F.‚ Brown‚ R.‚ Beaton‚ A. M.‚ & St-Pierre‚ L. (1999). Neosexism among women: The role of personally experienced social mobility attempts. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin‚ 25(12)‚ 1487-1497.

Items of the Neo-Sexism Scale (NS)

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

1. Discrimination against women in the labor force is no longer a problem in Canada. (McConahay‚1986)
2. I consider the present employment system to be fair to women.* (Gaertner & Dovidio‚ 1986)
3. Women shouldn’t push themselves where they are not wanted. (Gaertner & Dovidio‚ 1986; Kinder & Sears‚ 1981; McConahay‚ 1986)
4. Women will make more progress by being patient and not pushing too hard for change. (Jacobson‚ 1985)
5. It is difficult to work for a female boss.
6. Women’s requests in terms of equality between the sexes are simply exaggerated. (McConahay‚ 1986; McConahay & Hough‚ 1976)
7. Over the past few years‚ women have gotten more from government than they deserve. (McConahay‚ 1986)
8. Universities are wrong to admit women in costly programs such as medicine‚ when in fact‚ a large number will leave their jobs after a few years to raise their children.
9. In order not to appear sexist‚ many men are inclined to over compensate women.
10. Due to social pressures‚ firms frequently have to hire underqualified women.
11. In a fair employment system‚ men and women would be considered equal.*

* Reverse scored item

Scoring is typically based on a Likert Scale, ranging from 1‚ total disagreement‚ to 7‚ total agreement or 1 (Strongly Disagree) to 5 (Strongly Agree).