Courtney Heard

The Sex-role Egalitarian Attitudes of African Americans Courtney Heard

The gender role socialization experiences of African Americans have been extensively documented. Many of these authors have made cross-cultural comparisons regarding the sex-role egalitarian attitudes of women and men, particularly, among African Americans and Caucasians. It has been asserted that African Americans exhibit greater flexibility in gender roles and express a higher degree of sex-role egalitarian attitudes versus some other ethnic groups. However, recent research has revealed results which counter the argument that African Americans exhibit a high degree of sex-role egalitarianism attitudes. This book provides detailed information on the sex-role egalitarianism attitudes of some middle-class African Americans, and the gender role socialization and life experiences that have contributed to these beliefs. The results shared in this book support and expand existing literature on themes relevant to understanding the gender role socialization experiences of some African Americans to include installation of religious values, diversity in roles assumed by African American women, and perceived ethnic cultural differences in the gender role socialization experience.