The Macho Scale is a 13-item measure assessed among men of masculine identity and gender relations. Items include norms regarding masculinity in terms of having children, contributing to housework and having multiple wife or girlfriends.
Geographies Tested: Jamaica
Populations Included: Male
Age Range: Adults
1. A man’s nature is stronger than a woman’s so it is okay for him to have more than one woman.
2. Even if a man is living with his partner, it is okay for him to have outside children if he looks after them.
3. A man has the right to physically discipline his partner if she steps out of line.
4. If a man has a lot of girlfriends, he is seen as more of a man than if he sticks with one woman.
5. A man should never let a woman know that he really loves her.
6. Even if the housekeeping money is short, a man is allowed to buy a drink for his friends.
7. A woman does not have the right to refuse to have sex with her partner.
8. Even if a man helps the woman with the housework, he should not wash the clothes for the family.
9. If I did not have children, I would feel jealous of other men who have.
10. I would not feel like a man if I did not have children.
11. I would never marry a woman who could not have children.
12. If my partner could not have children, I would seek to get children elsewhere.
13. A man can tell when a child is really his
Response Options:
5-point Likert scale
Strongly agree
Agree
Uncertain
Disagree
Strongly disagree
No opinion
Not Available
Anderson, P. (2012). Measuring Masculinity in an Afro-Caribbean Context. Social and Economic Studies, 61(1), 49-93.
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