Workplace decision-making in the trades: Impact of masculine attitudes

The majority of existing research on gender in the trades focuses on the personal experiences of women working in the trades. As the trades are still male dominated, the present study investigated tradesmen’s adherence to male role norms in relation to workplace safety behaviours and perceptions of co-worker competence. Participants were presented with a vignette that depicted a common, yet potentially unsafe, workplace task in which either a male or female hypothetical coworker was available to assist. Next, participants completed questions pertaining to the safety situation outlined in the vignette. Participants also completed questionnaires pertaining to the safety situation outlined in the vignette. Participants also completed questionnaires of adherence to male role norms, neosexist beliefs, perceptions of their actual male and female co-workers' abilities, and attitudes toward workplace safety. Results indicated that participants showed no gender bias when selecting a hypothetical helper in the situation; rather, adherence to safety protocls appeared to take precedence. Further analaysis revealed that for participants assigned to a vignette featuring a hypothetical male co-worker, there was a negative correlation between strength of adherence to male role norms and perceptions of actual female co-workers' general workplace abilities. For participants assigned to a vignette featuring a hypthetical male co-worker, there was a negative correlation between strength of adherence to male role norms and perceptions of actual co-workers' general safety behaviours on a job site. Possible reasons for these findings, limitations of this study, and future research directions are discussed.

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More on The Structure of Male Role Norms

Psychology of Women Quarterly ◽

10.1111/j.1471-6402.1998.tb00147.x ◽

1998 ◽

Vol 22 (2) ◽

pp. 135-155 ◽

Cited By ~ 22

Author(s):

Ann R. Fischer ◽

David M. Tokar ◽

Glenn E. Good ◽

Andrea F. Snell

Keyword(s):

Factor Model ◽

Future Research ◽

Validation Sample ◽

Male Role ◽

Confirmatory Factor Analyses ◽

Total N ◽

Masculinity Ideology ◽

Male Role Norms ◽

Role Norms ◽

Best Fit

This study assessed the structure of a widely used measure of masculinity ideology, the Male Role Norms Scale (Thompson & Pleck, 1986), using data from four samples of male college students (total N= 656) at two large, public universities (one Midwestern, one Eastern-Central). Exploratory factor analysis suggested a four-factor model best fit the data in the exploratory sample (sample 1; N = 210). The four factors were Status/Rationality, Antifemininity, Tough Image, and Violent Toughness. A series of confirmatory factor analyses on a validation sample (samples 2, 3, and 4; N = 446), tested four models based on theory (i.e., Brannon, 1976) and previous research (i.e., Thompson & Pleck, 1986). Results from Study 1, our exploratory analysis, indicated that the four-factor model derived from the exploratory sample in Study 1 provided the best fit for the validation sample data of all models tested and also provided a good fit in absolute terms, according to several model–data fit indices. Implications for the assessment of masculinity ideology and suggestions for future research are discussed.

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Supplemental Material for Confirmatory Factor Analytic Investigation of Variance Composition, Gender Invariance, and Validity of the Male Role Norms Inventory-Adolescent-revised (MRNI-A-r)

Journal of Counseling Psychology ◽

10.1037/cou0000163.supp ◽

2016 ◽

Keyword(s):

Analytic Investigation ◽

Male Role ◽

Gender Invariance ◽

Factor Analytic ◽

Confirmatory Factor ◽

Male Role Norms ◽

Role Norms

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Physical disability: A challenge to traditional male role norms

PsycEXTRA Dataset ◽

10.1037/e413522005-014 ◽

1996 ◽

Author(s):

Neil A. Massoth ◽

Keyword(s):

Physical Disability ◽

Male Role ◽

Male Role Norms ◽

Role Norms

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Development and validation of a five-item Male Role Norms Inventory using bifactor modeling.

Psychology of Men & Masculinity ◽

10.1037/men0000178 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 20 (4) ◽

pp. 467-477 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Ryon C. McDermott ◽

Ronald F. Levant ◽

Joseph H. Hammer ◽

Nicholas C. Borgogna ◽

Daniel K. McKelvey

Keyword(s):

Male Role ◽

Male Role Norms ◽

Bifactor Modeling ◽

Development And Validation ◽

Role Norms

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Toward diversifying research participants: Measurement invariance of the Male Role Norms Inventory–Short Form (MRNI-SF) across recruitment method.

Psychology of Men & Masculinity ◽

10.1037/men0000138 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 19 (4) ◽

pp. 531-539 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Ronald F. Levant ◽

Eric R. McCurdy

Keyword(s):

Measurement Invariance ◽

Short Form ◽

Recruitment Method ◽

Male Role ◽

Research Participants ◽

Male Role Norms ◽

Role Norms

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Supplemental Material for A Content Analysis of Research on Masculinity Ideologies Using All Forms of the Male Role Norms Inventory (MRNI)

Psychology of Men & Masculinity ◽

10.1037/men0000134.supp ◽

2017 ◽

Keyword(s):

Content Analysis ◽

Male Role ◽

Male Role Norms ◽

Role Norms

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Male Role Norms Scale

PsycTESTS Dataset ◽

10.1037/t06406-000 ◽

1986 ◽

Author(s):

Edward H. Thompson ◽

Joseph H. Pleck

Keyword(s):

Male Role ◽

Male Role Norms ◽

Role Norms

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Men’s Psychotherapy Use, Male Role Norms, and Male-Typical Depression Symptoms: Examining 716 Men and Women Experiencing Psychological Distress

Behavioral Sciences ◽

10.3390/bs11060083 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (6) ◽

pp. 83

Author(s):

Lukas Eggenberger ◽

Callia Fordschmid ◽

Claudio Ludwig ◽

Seraina Weber ◽

Jessica Grub ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Role Identity ◽

Depression Symptoms ◽

Gender Role Identity ◽

Male Role ◽

Men And Women ◽

Masculine Role ◽

Male Role Norms ◽

Depression Symptomatology ◽

Role Norms

Men as compared to women are half as often affected by depressive and anxiety disorders and seek significantly less help for mental health issues than women. Adherence to traditional male role norms (AtTMRN) may hinder men from describing prototypical depression symptoms and from seeking psychotherapy. The current study compared whether AtTMRN, gender role identity, or the experience of prototypical or male-typical externalizing mental health symptoms were associated with psychotherapy use in men and women. In an anonymous online survey, 716 participants (37% men) reporting to currently experience psychological distress were examined. Information was obtained on psychotherapy use, depression and anxiety symptoms, gender role identity, and traditional male role norms. Although experiencing similar levels of depression, men compared to women showed a reduction in psychotherapy use by 29%. Masculine role identity was directly associated with reduced psychotherapy use in men (β = −0.41, p = 0.029), whereas AtTMRN was not (men: β = −0.04, p = 0.818; women: β = −0.25, p = 0.064). Higher externalizing depression symptomatology (β = −0.68, p = 0.005), but not prototypical depression symptomatology (β = −0.02, p = 0.499), was associated with reduced psychotherapy use in men but not women (p > 0.05). Interactions revealed that men, but not women, with high AtTMRN use psychotherapy only when exhibiting elevated symptom levels. The results corroborate previous reports showing reduced psychotherapy use in men as compared to women and identify elevated masculine role identity and male-typical externalizing depression symptomatology as direct factors associated with reduced psychotherapy use in psychologically distressed men. AtTMRN interacts with mental health symptoms to predict psychotherapy use, indicating that men with high AtTMRN only use psychotherapy when exhibiting high symptomatology.

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