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Race and Gender Differences in Self-efficacy: Assessing the Role of Gender Role Attitudes and Family Background

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Abstract

Research suggests race is associated with unique family structures and gender attitudes. Yet, extant research fails to examine how different gender role attitudes and family structures related to race impact other aspects of life. Self-efficacy refers to one’s belief in his or her abilities to achieve certain outcomes (Bandura, Self-efficacy: The exercise of control, Freeman, New York, p. 3, 1997). Using a sample of 486 traditional undergraduate college students from an American university in the middle south, we examine gender and race differences in self-efficacy and the impact of sex role attitudes and family structure on self-efficacy. We argue that gender differences in gender role attitudes and their impact on self-efficacy is moderated by race. For all but white males, sex role liberalism is positively related to self-efficacy. Mother’s full time employment is positively related to self-efficacy for whites. Implications for theory and future research are discussed.

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Acknowledgement

The authors would like to particularly thank Benjamin Cornwell, the anonymous reviewers and the editor of Sex Roles for their assistance during different stages of this project. The authors would also like to thank Ann Hunt, Laura Bush, and Wes Phillips.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Sociology, Anthropology, and Geography, University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, 615 McCallie Avenue, Chattanooga, TN, 37403, USA

    Tom Buchanan & Nikesha Selmon

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  1. Tom Buchanan
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Correspondence to Tom Buchanan.

Appendices

Appendix A. Items Used to Calculate Scale Items.

Global Self-efficacy Scale

Global self-efficacy constructed and tested by Sherer et al. (1982). Respondents were asked to indicate whether they strongly disagreed (1), disagreed (2), neither agreed nor disagreed (3), agreed (4), or strongly agreed (5) with items listed below. Higher values represent greater self-efficacy.

  1. 1.

    If I can’t do a job the first time, I keep trying until I can.

  2. 2.

    I give up on things before completing them. (reverse-coded)

  3. 3.

    If something looks complicated, I won't bother trying it. (reverse-coded)

  4. 4.

    Failure just makes me try harder.

  5. 5.

    I feel insecure about my ability to do things. (reverse-coded)

  6. 6.

    I am a self-reliant person.

Sex Role Liberalism Scale

Sex role liberalism measured used by Clarkberg et al. (1995) in the National Longitudinal Study of High School Class of 1972. The last four items are slight variants of the items used by Clarkberg et al. (1995). Respondents were asked to indicate whether they strongly disagreed (1), disagreed (2), neither agreed nor disagreed (3), agreed (4), or strongly agreed (5) with items listed below:

  1. 1.

    Men should be given the first chance at most jobs because they have the primary responsibility for providing for a family. (Reverse coded)

  2. 2.

    It is usually better for everyone if the man is the achiever outside of the home and the woman takes care of the home and family. (Reverse coded)

  3. 3.

    Most women are just not interested in having big and important jobs. (Reverse coded)

  4. 4.

    Young men should be encouraged to take jobs that are usually filled by women (social work, nursing, etc.)

  5. 5.

    Young women should be encouraged to take jobs that are usually filled by men (engineering, management, etc.)

  6. 6.

    It is more important for a husband to commit his time to his work rather than helping his wife at home. (Reverse coded)

  7. 7.

    Women should not be discouraged from choosing male-typed careers such as engineering because their mathematical skills are just as good as men’s.

  8. 8.

    Men should not be discouraged from choosing female-typed careers (such as nursing) because they are just as nurturing as women.

Appendix B: Intercorrelations for All Variables by Race and Sex.

Table 6 Intercorrelations of self-efficacy, sex role liberalism, and work-family characteristics for females and males.
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Table 7 Intercorrelations of self-efficacy, sex role liberalism, and work-family characteristics for African Americans and Whites.
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Buchanan, T., Selmon, N. Race and Gender Differences in Self-efficacy: Assessing the Role of Gender Role Attitudes and Family Background. Sex Roles 58, 822–836 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11199-008-9389-3

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