Gender characteristics and adjustment: a longitudinal study.

The present study used a prospective longitudinal design to investigate the long-term developmental implications of gender-related interests and traits. Archival data were available for Ss in the R. R. Sears, Maccoby, and Levin (1957) study. Men, who at age 12 endorsed interests and undesirable traits more typically associated with women, had poorer social-personal adjustment at ages 31 and 41. No effects were found for women. Feminine expressive traits at age 31 did not impact on 41-year-old adjustment for either men or women, whereas masculine instrumental traits were positively related for both. These findings support a multidimensional view of gender and indicate that harsher consequences follow when adolescent boys endorse nontraditional gender-related interests and undesirable traits than when girls do so.