Is there a “Conformity to Feminine Norms” Construct? A Bifactor Analysis of two Short Versions of Conformity to Feminine Norms Inventory

This study extends the previous research on the structure of the Conformity to Feminine Norms Inventory (CFNI-84) by applying the bifactor model. The CFNI was administered to a large sample of Spanish women. The Confirmatory Factorial Analysis (CFA) study in Spain supported the results obtained in the USA. A brief measure of the instrument (the CFNI-45r) is developed by eliminating the items which have a content overlap or non-salient factorial loading. With this brief version a competition took place among theoretically plausible models (the one-dimensional model, the one for independent factors, the one for correlated factors, the second-order one and the bifactor), and it was seen that the best fit was obtained from the bifactor model, that is, the existence of a general factor where the construct measured is developed. There is a discussion on the theoretical implications of this bifactor model which would support the original structure of the instrument with facets of the conformity to feminine norms which contribute to a general factor.