Schedule of Sexist Events

Abstract

The Schedule of Sexist Events (SSE) is a specialized psychometric instrument designed by Klonoff and Landrine to meticulously quantify the frequency and perceived impact of discriminatory events experienced by women specifically because of their gender. The scale provides a unique focus on concrete, observed instances of unfair treatment, sexual objectification, and overt hostility, moving beyond general measures of gender attitudes. The SSE is structured to capture exposure across two critical timeframes: lifetime exposure and events occurring within the past year, covering diverse social spheres including professional, interpersonal, and public settings.

A primary objective of the SSE is to establish a clear empirical link between the chronic stress and psychological trauma resulting from cumulative exposure to sexism and subsequent psychological and physical health outcomes. By operationalizing gender-based discrimination as a measurable stressor, the instrument serves as a crucial research tool in the fields of psychology of women and health psychology, enabling researchers to analyze both the cumulative impact and the immediate effects of current gender-related stressors.

Keywords

Sexism, Gender Discrimination, Psychological Measurement, Women’s Health, Lifetime Events, Psychometrics, Gender Studies, Stressors, Objectification, Gender Inequality, Harassment, Sexual Victimization, Life Events, Psychosocial Health

Authors

E.A. Klonoff, H. Landrine

Purpose

The core purpose of the Schedule of Sexist Events is to provide a comprehensive, standardized, and empirically grounded measure for assessing both the prevalence and the subjective impact of sexist events in women’s lives. It was specifically developed to operationalize the abstract concept of gender-based discrimination as a quantifiable and measurable stressor that contributes significantly to psychological morbidity and persistent well-being disparities among women.

The scale achieves this purpose through two interconnected functions. First, it systematically quantifies the frequency of various types of sexist encounters—ranging from subtle unfair treatment and sexual harassment to verbal abuse—across a wide array of contexts, including the workplace, family life, and interactions with public services. Second, the SSE assesses the perceived psychological and behavioral impact of these cumulative events on the respondent’s life trajectory, offering a nuanced understanding of how chronic exposure to sexism shapes personal, professional, and health outcomes over time.

Construct

The SSE is designed to measure the psychological construct of experienced gender-based discrimination and victimization. This construct is typically conceptualized within the theoretical framework of stress and coping theory, positing that exposure to sexism functions as a chronic, pervasive environmental stressor. The construct is broad, encompassing both overt acts of hostility and more subtle, everyday forms of unfair treatment, often referred to as microaggressions, which arise from institutional or interpersonal sexism.

To capture the full breadth of these experiences, the scale organizes items into specific domains of interaction. These domains include unfair treatment by authorities (such as employers and teachers), peers (colleagues and co-workers), and intimate partners. Furthermore, the scale explicitly addresses experiences related to sexual objectification, the use of sexist verbal abuse (e.g., being called derogatory names), and physical threats. The inclusion of items assessing emotional reaction (e.g., anger) and behavioral response (e.g., filing a lawsuit or quitting a job) ensures the instrument provides a holistic view of the complex stress response associated with perceived discrimination.

Validity

The foundational validation study of the Schedule of Sexist Events, conducted by Klonoff and Landrine in 1995, provided substantial evidence supporting its validity across multiple dimensions. Construct validity was strongly established through empirical findings demonstrating significant positive correlations between higher scores on the SSE and established measures of psychological distress. Specifically, scores correlated positively with symptoms of depression, anxiety, and somatization, which aligns precisely with the theoretical hypothesis that chronic exposure to sexist events functions as a major psychological stressor.

Additionally, Criterion validity was confirmed by the scale’s ability to predict adverse physical and mental health outcomes, even when controlling for the influence of other general, non-gender-specific stressors. This predictive power suggested that gender-based discrimination is a unique and potent contributor to poor health among women. The SSE further demonstrated robust discriminant validity by exhibiting lower correlations with measures of general life stressors, thereby confirming that the scale specifically and effectively taps into experiences uniquely related to gender-based unfairness and victimization.

Reliability

The SSE has consistently demonstrated strong psychometric reliability across numerous subsequent studies. Its internal consistency is consistently high, indicating that the various items within the scale reliably measure the single underlying construct of experienced sexism. Typical Cronbach’s alpha coefficients for both the lifetime and past-year versions of the scale frequently exceed the robust threshold of .90, confirming excellent reliability for rigorous research applications.

While internal consistency is the most commonly reported measure, test-retest reliability has also generally been found to be adequate, especially concerning the lifetime events section. This section measures stable, historical exposures to gender-based unfairness, which are expected to remain constant over time. The high reliability coefficients collectively affirm that the Schedule of Sexist Events provides a consistent, precise, and dependable quantification of exposure to gender-based discrimination.

Factor Analysis

Early factor analytic investigations of the Schedule of Sexist Events frequently revealed a clear multi-factor structure, which accurately reflects the diverse social domains in which gender-based discrimination manifests. Although the SSE can be effectively utilized as a single, comprehensive measure of overall exposure to sexism, researchers often utilize the meaningful subscales identified through these analyses to explore specific types of victimization.

The primary factors identified typically include:

• Overt Hostility and Abuse: Items capturing direct, aggressive forms of sexism, such as being called sexist names, experiencing physical threats, or being ridiculed.

• Institutional/Workplace Discrimination: Items focusing on systemic barriers and unfair treatment in formal settings, including denial of raises, promotions, tenure, or other organizational benefits by employers or authorities.

• Interpersonal Sexism: Experiences of unfair treatment stemming from close personal relationships (e.g., family members or partners) or interactions with service providers.

• Sexual Objectification/Harassment: Items related to experiencing unwanted sexual advances, leering, or exposure to degrading sexual jokes.

This consistent multi-dimensional structure validates the scale’s comprehensive breadth and confirms that sexist experiences are not monolithic but occur across specific, distinguishable social and environmental contexts.

Instrument

Test Type: Self-report questionnaire designed to measure frequency and subjective impact of perceived gender discrimination.

Format: Primarily quantitative frequency counts for 19 core items, supplemented by specific impact/difference ratings (Items 20, 39, 40) concerning how different life would have been without the sexist events.

Language Available: English (Original); translations may exist in subsequent international research studies.

Population Group: Women.

Age Group: Typically used with adult women (18+).

Population Details: The scale was originally validated on a demographically diverse sample of adult women in the United States to ensure the generalizability of the findings across various social strata.

Test Methodology: Respondents are instructed to quantify the exact number of times specific sexist events have occurred across two distinct timeframes: 1) In their entire life, and 2) In the past year. The scale also incorporates a 6-point frequency rating scale (ranging from 1=NEVER happened to 6=Happened ALMOST ALL OF THE TIME), which is sometimes applied to sub-sections or used as an alternative frequency measure in related studies.

Keywords

Psychological Stress, Gender Inequality, Harassment, Sexual Victimization, Life Events, Psychosocial Health, Gender-Based Violence, Women’s Studies, Chronic Stress

Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: Not specified in source material.

Affiliation Email addresses: Not specified in source material.

Correspondence Address: Not specified in source material.

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

The Schedule of Sexist Events was first published in 1995 by E.A. Klonoff and H. Landrine in the peer-reviewed journal, Psychology of Women Quarterly. Because it is published in an academic journal, the instrument is generally available for non-commercial academic and clinical research use, provided that proper and thorough citation is given to the original authors and publication.

The original publication provides the comprehensive set of items required for administration, and typically, no specific fee is associated with its use in university-based or non-profit academic settings. However, researchers seeking commercial use, large-scale implementation, or modification of the scale must seek direct permission from the authors or the journal publisher. The instrument was also featured in the dissertation by Angela Denchik (2005). The original PDF can be downloaded here: https://kb.osu.edu/dspace/bitstream/handle/1811/414/1/angeladenchik.pdf

Reference’s

• Klonoff‚ E.A.‚ & Landrine‚ H. (1995). The Schedule of Sexist Events: A measure of lifetime and recent sexist discrimination in women’s lives. Psychology of Women Quarterly‚ 19‚ 439-472.

• Denchik. Angela L‚. (2005). Development and Psychometric Evaluation of the Interpersonal Sexual Objectification Scale. Ohio State University.

Items of the Schedule of Sexist Events

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

1. How many times IN YOUR ENTIRE LIFE?

2. How many times IN THE PAST YEAR?

1. How many times have you been treated unfairly by teachers or professors because you are a woman?

2. How many times have you been treated unfairly by your employer‚ boss‚ or supervisors because you are a woman?

3. How many times have you been treated unfairly by your co-workers‚ fellow students or colleagues because you are a woman?

4. How many times have you been treated unfairly by people in service jobs (by store clerks‚ waiters‚ bartenders‚ waitresses‚ bank tellers‚ mechanics‚ and others) because you are a woman?

5. How many times have you been treated unfairly by strangers because you are a woman?

6. How many times have you been treated unfairly by people in helping jobs (by doctors‚ nurses‚ psychiatrists‚ case workers‚ dentists‚ school counselors‚ therapists‚ pediatricians‚ school principals‚ gynecologists‚ and others) because you are a woman?

7. How many times have you been treated unfairly by neighbors because you are a woman?

8. How many times have you been treated unfairly by your boyfriend‚ husband‚ or other important man in your life because you are a woman?

9. How many times were you denied a raise‚ a promotion‚ tenure‚ a good assignment‚ a job‚ or other such thing at work that you deserved because you are a woman?

10. How many times have you been treated unfairly by your family because you are a woman?

11. How many times have people made inappropriate or unwanted sexual advances to you because you are a woman?

12. How many times have people failed to show you the respect you deserve because you are a woman?

13. How many times have you wanted to tell someone off for being sexist?

14. How many times have you been really angry about something sexist that was done to you?

15. How many times were you forced to take drastic steps (such as filing a grievance‚ filing a lawsuit‚ quitting your job‚ moving away‚ and other actions) to deal with some sexist thing that was done to you?

16. How many times have you been called a sexist name like bitch‚ cunt‚ chick‚ or other names?

17. How many times have you gotten into an argument or a fight about something sexist that was said or done to you or done to somebody else?

18. How many times have you been made fun of‚ picked on‚ pushed‚ shoved‚ hit‚ or threatened with harm because you are a woman?

19. How many times have you heard people making sexist jokes or degrading sexual jokes?

20. How different would your life have been now if you HAD NOT BEEN treated in a sexist and unfair way?

39. THROUGHOUT YOUR ENTIRE LIFE:

1=Same as now‚ 2=Little different‚ 3=Different in many ways‚ 4=Different in a lot of ways‚ 5=Different in most ways‚ Totally different

40. IN THE PAST YEAR:

1=Same as now‚ 2=Little different‚ 3=Different in many ways‚ 4=Different in a lot of ways‚ 5=Different in most ways‚ Totally different

Response Scale (Alternative/Related Frequency Rating):

1 = NEVER happened

2 = Happened ONCE IN A WHILE (<10 % of the time)

3 = Happened SOMETIMES (10-25 % of the time)

4 = Happened A LOT (26-49 % of the time)

5 = Happened MOST OF THE TIME (50-70 % of the time)

6 = Happened ALMOST ALL OF THE TIME (more than 70 % of the time)