GENDER-STEREOTYPIC TRAITS ARE DERIVED FROM GENDER-ROLES - REPLY

McCreary (1990) argued that the conclusions from a review of the associations between gender scale measures (Archer, 1989) were limited because: (1) in gender trait questionnaires (PAQ and BSRI), measures of masculinity and femininity are restricted to instrumental and expressive traits; (2) these scales are multifactorial in nature. In reply, I point out that: (1) neither the PAQ nor the BSRI were designed to measure only instrumental and expressive traits, but were based on gender‐stereotypic traits. The link with instrumental and expressive traits occurs because these traits are prescriptive for traditional gender roles. The more general point is that gender‐related traits are derived from gender‐related roles. (2) The BSRI, but not the PAQ, has been shown to be multifactorial, but most of the evidence in my review came from the PAQ. The limitations of, and alternatives to, gender role measures are also discussed. 1990 The British Psychological Society