The Sexist Attitudes Toward Women Scale (SATWS) is a 40-item measure of attitudes held by individuals in terms of viewing women as relatively inferior to men. This scale aims to capture 7 components: genetic inferiority, greater rights earned by men, support for sex discrimination, traditional gender roles, lack of support of women's liberation movements, use of labels and stereotypes, and evaluation of women based on physical attractiveness.
Geographies Tested: United States of America
Populations Included: Female, Male
Age Range: Adolescents, Adults
1. If I had a daughter, I would discourage her from working on cars.
2. I get angry at women who complain that American society is unfair to them.
3. Our society puts too much emphasis on beauty, especially for women.*
4. Women shop more than men because they can't decide what to buy.
5. Most women's libbers are hopping on the bandwagon of protest just for the fun of it.
6. It bothers me when a man is interested in a woman only if she is pretty.*
7. It bothers me to see a man being told what to do by a woman.
8. I think that having children is a woman's greatest fulfillment.
9. Men are intrinsically more courageous than women in the face of danger.
10. I think that women should spend a lot of time trying to be pretty.
11. I can really understand why there needs to be a women's liberation movement.*
12. Women rely more on intuition and less on reason than men do.
13. Women should not be as sexually active before marriage as men.
14. Men are just as easily influenced by others as women are.*
15. I think women should be more concerned about their appearance than men.
16. Men will always be the dominant sex.
17. I dislike it when men treat women as sexual objects.*
18. I think that the husband should have the final say when a couple makes a decision.
19. Women should have all the same rights as men.*
20. I see nothing wrong with a woman who doesn't like to wear skirts or dresses.*
21. Women should be handled gently by men because they are so delicate.
22. Women should be prepared to oppose men in order to obtain equal status.*
23. I am suspicious of a woman who would rather work than have children.
24. I think that women are naturally emotionally weaker than men.
25. On average, women are as intelligent as men.*
26. If a husband and wife both work full time, the husband should do half of the housework.*
27. I like women who are outspoken.*
28. I see nothing wrong with men whistling at shapely women.
29. It bothers me more to see a woman who is pushy than a man who is pushy.
30. A working wife should not be hired for a job if there is a family man who needs it.
31. Women can handle pressure just as well as men can when making a decision.*
32. Men are naturally better than women at mechanical things.
33. A woman's place is in the home.
34. I think that many TV commercials present a degrading picture of women.*
35. I think a woman could do most things as well as a man.*
36. I think that men are instinctually more competitive than women.
37. I think women have a right to be angry when they are referred to as a "broad".*
38. It would make me feel awkward to address a woman as "Ms."
39. I see nothing wrong with men who are primarily interested in a woman's body.
40. If I had a choice, I would just as soon work for a woman as for a man.*
Response Options:
Strongly disagree - 1
Moderately disagree - 2
Slightly disagree - 3
Neither agree or disagree - 4
Slightly agree - 5
Moderately agree - 6
Strongly agree - 7
*Items are reverse scored
Item scores are summed to create a total scale score ranging from 40-280. Higher scores indicate greater sexist attitudes.
Benson, P. L., & Vincent, S. (1980). Development and validation of Sexist Attitudes Toward Women Scale (SATWS). Psychology of Women Quarterly, 5(2). https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1471-6402.1980.tb00962.x
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