Male Student Professionals: Their Attitudes toward Women,Sex,and Change

The predominantly male professions of law and medicine have wielded a powerful influence on the definition of accepted roles and behavior for women in American society. It, therefore, seemed reasonable to examine attitudes toward women, permissible sexual expression, and adherence to tradition among male representatives of these professional groups. A sample of 135 medical and 62 law students responded to paper-and-pencil surveys of attitudes on these topics, and students classified as profeminist and traditional in ideological posture were compared on dogmatism and sexual attitude dimensions. Results showed student professionals to be significantly more profeminist than male undergraduates, and endorsement of a profeminist position, willingness to accept change, and tolerance of liberal sexual attitudes and behavior in others were positively correlated.