Sex roles and values of school children using self-esteem as a moderating factor

This article consists of two studies. Study 1 compares the values of Finnish high school students with those of American students. The results show that Finnish adolescents value popularity more than academic or athletic success. Differences in values also reflect differences in the Finnish national character, school system, and sports organization. Study 2 investigated self-esteem as a moderating factor between the adolescents' values and their sex roles. Subjects were 743 school children who completed the Bem's Sex-Role Inventory and the Coopersmith's Self-esteem Inventory. The results showed that a traditional sex role was more prominent in the group of students with low self-esteem than in the group with high self-esteem.