An examination of the relationship between adolescent girls' and boys' self-esteem and their views of egalitarianism.

Abstract

This study addressed the relationship between adolescents' self-esteem and their views of egalitarianism. The focus was primarily on girls, but race and gender were also examined as exploratory variables. Four hundred and fifty-one adolescents participated in the study. The average age was 15.88 years old. A Pearson product moment correlations were completed to evaluate the relationship between scores on the coopersmith Self-Esteem Inventory (SEI) and the Sex Role Egalitarianism Scale (SRES). It was hypothesized that the scores on the SEI and the scores on the SRES would positively correlate. The results showed no positive correlations for any of the groups. Further analyses showed there was essentially no difference between the groups on the SEI but that the Caucasian participants scored significantly higher on the SRES than the African-American participants. It was also found that the girls had a stronger sense of egalitarianism than the boys. The implications of the results were discussed.