Page No 25-34
Jayanti Basu
Calcutta University, Kolkata
The paper reports the preparation of the Indian Gender Role Identity Scale (IGRIS)
to assess psychological masculinity and femininity in our culture. Review of literature
reveals that while scales for assessing Gender Role Identity are available in the
West, no such scale has been prepared in India taking into account the rigorous
methodological procedure recommended for such scale. At the same time there
are ample evidences that use of items in one culture are likely to be invalid in a
different culture, since the meaning of masculinity and femininity differs widely
across cultures. In the present scale the methodology followed by Sandra Bem
was roughly followed, accommodating for the major critiques of Bem’s scale. At
various phases it utilized 2486 subjects between the age range of 16 to 50 years
of age, among which 1240 were female and 1246 male. The final scale consists of
30 items to be judged on a 7 point scale to describe oneself. The item validity,
construct validity, reliability and working norm are provided
.