Overt/Covert Sexism Test
The Overt and Covert Sexism framework was developed by Janet Spence, Janet Swim, and Robert Helmreich and can be understood as a complement to the Ambivalent Sexism Test. The test examines intentional or visible inequity against women, as well as more subtle and ingrained forms of discrimination.
Where do you fall on the Overt/Covert Sexism Test? For each of the following items, indicate your level of agreement below.
Question 1 of 18
It is rare to see women treated in a sexualized or derogatory manner on television.
| Disagree | Agree |
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The IDRlabs Overt and Covert Sexism Test (IDR-OCST©) was developed by IDRlabs International. The IDR-OCST is based on research by psychologists Janet Spence and Robert Helmreich and Janet Swim and her colleagues. The IDR-OCST is not associated with these researchers or their affiliated institutions.
The IDRlabs Overt and Covert Sexism Test utilized research from psychologists Janet Spence and Robert Helmreich and Janet Swim and her colleagues to produce this free online test. This Overt and Covert Sexism Test is based on the Attitudes of Women Scale, which investigates intentional or visible harmful and unequal treatment of women. It is also based on the Modern Sexism Scale which measures hidden or unnoticed sexism that may not be apparent since it is built into societal norms.
This test provides a total sexism score as well as scores for the subscales of overt sexism and covert sexism, in order to comprehensively assess the extent of one’s prejudice toward women. IDRlabs International and the present IDRlabs Overt and Covert Sexism Test are independent of the above-stated researchers and their affiliated academic institutions.
It is argued that the Attitudes Toward Women Scale (AWS) measures overt or blatant sexism while the Modern Sexism Scale (MSS) measures covert or subtle forms of sexism (Swim & Cohen, 1997). The AWS was developed by Janet Spence and Robert Helmreich; it looks into intentional or visible harmful and unequal treatment of women. As for the MSS, it was developed by Janet Swim and her colleagues; it measures hidden or unnoticed sexism that is built into societal norms.
The Attitude Toward Women Scale was found out to have high test-retest reliability (Daugherty & Dambrot, 1986). Similarly, the Modern Sexism Scale was verified to be an acceptable assessment tool regarding sexist attitudes in terms of its internal reliability and its predicting power on gender-related political attitudes (Campbell, et al., 1997).
The Overt and Covert Sexism Test was developed by professionals certified in the delivery and interpretation of various psychological instruments, who have worked in fields of psychology including social psychology, typology, and personality testing. Free online tests such as the Overt and Covert Sexism Test are intended to be solely informative and educational; they should, therefore, not be understood to provide a definitive answer regarding personal attitudes, beliefs, or components of one’s personality.
Though developed and statistically validated by professionals, free online tests such as this one should not be misconstrued as providing any kind of professional assessments, results, or recommendations. Individual test scores and accompanying personality snapshots of our free online Overt and Covert Sexism Test are provided “as-is.” For additional information about our Overt and Covert Sexism Test and our other free online psychological tests, please refer to our Terms of Service.
Why Use This Test?
1. Free. This online Overt/Covert Sexism Test is delivered to you free of charge and will allow you to explore whether you hold sexist views and beliefs, based on research in the Psychology of Women Quarterly.
2. Multidimensional assessment. This test recognizes the multidimensionality of the construct of sexism, assessing two different subscales of overt and covert.
3. Relevant to current events. Issues around women’s equality are presently being discussed by world leaders and the general public.
4. Statistical controls. User results for the present test are logged into an anonymized database, and statistical analyses are performed to ensure results are as valid and reliable as possible.
5. Created by professionals. This test has been created by research professionals with experience in social psychology, typology, and personality testing.