Femininity, Dominance and Sociability as correlates of self – esteem: A study amongst students

Abstract

Working on oneself is like a sculptor chiselling away at stone trying to bring about the best form. The key ingredient in bringing out the authentic self is the value associated with oneself. Too low or high levels of self esteem marr effective and realistic functioning of the self in society. Characteristics such as 1. Femininity referring to dignity and conscientiousness, 2. Dominance referring to leadership ability and social initiative, 3. Sociability referring to compatability and flexibility are the pillars of self concept. Self esteem or value attached to oneself become the foundation on which these pillars find a foot hold. The present paper aims to explore the relationship between self esteem and dominance, femininity and sociability. Data were collected from a sample of college going female students administering self-esteem inventory and feminity, dominance and sociability scale and the correlation co-efficient amongst the variables were calculated. Implications of the study are discussed in the context of women empowerment especially in the educational settings.