PARENTAL MODEL IDENTIFICATION AND SEX ROLE TYPING IN THE DAUGHTER

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to explore some of the factors which encourage or inhibit a daughter's motivation to identify with her mother. Specifically, sex role identification in the female was examined in relation to her perception of the sex role orientation of her mother and her father's ideal woman. The relationships between the parents, as perceived by the daughter, were examined for their possible effects on the daughter's identification.;The subjects were 132 female undergraduate and graduate students from the greater New York metropolitan area.;When perceived congruency between the sex role orientation of the mother and the father's ideal woman was found (in 46% of the subjects), it was significantly correlated with a feminine typed mother and the daughter was then significantly more likely to identify with the role she perceived as congruent.;However, it was found that over half of the subjects perceived incongruency between the parental models, which was due to perceptions of departure of the mother from the traditional feminine role. Where incongruency was found, the following variables were significantly related to the daughter's identification. The daughter was more likely to identify with the father's ideal woman when the mother was perceived as high in masculinity and low in nurturance and deference. In cases of perceived incongruency daughters were similar to their mothers only when the father's support to the daughter was low or he was perceived as endorsing a role for women that was low in both feminine and masculine attributes. Almost half the subjects identified with neither parental model, and these daughters were significantly more likely to be nontraditionally sex typed.;This data suggests that the daughter's identification with the mother is strongly modified by reciprocal role playing with the father. If the sex role orientation of the mother and the father's ideal woman are perceived as being different the daughter will identify with the mother only when she perceives the father as nonsupportive or when he does not endorse a clearly differentiated role.;Because the fathers were largely perceived as conservative concerning female-appropriate behavior, this perception may induce conflict in the daughter about the adoption of new sex roles.