Indices of psychological well-being and sex role orientation among working women.

In this preliminary study, sex role orientation, role conflict, depression, self-esteem, and life satisfaction were measured in working women. The convenience sample consisted of 106 working women, mostly white, ranging in age from 22 to 62 years. Analyses of the data revealed that participants who were undifferentiated in sex role orientation had significantly higher depression scores, lower self-esteem scores, and lower life satisfaction scores than the androgynous and cross-typed groups. There were no significant differences among the sex role orientation types on role conflict scores. Intriguing comparisons among depression, self-esteem, life satisfaction, and sex role orientation were found. Further research is needed to understand the role of gender in psychological problems, the symptoms associated with them, and how women respond to them.