Gender roles which are specific for the period of adolescence are not well defined and there is a lack of instruments to measure this concept, especially in the Croatian social context. Therefore, the aims of this article were to examine what constitutes gender roles in adolescence and to select items for the construction of the Gender Roles in Adolescence Scale. The sample for the quantitative part of the research consisted of 511 high schools students from Zagreb (52.3% female), while the qualitative part of the research included focus groups, also with high schools students from Zagreb. The topics of focus group discussions were the expectations of Croatian society from boys and girls. In the quantitative research the participants estimated the degree to which behaviors, characteristics and interests described in the items were expected from girls and boys in Croatian society. The results showed that gender roles in adolescence manifest themselves in different expectations from boys and girls in a wide spectrum of characteristics, behaviors and interests related to school, family, free time, appearance and intimate relationships. The conducted research demonstrated that the concept of gender roles in adolescence is more complex than the existing definition and culturally specific. Considering that the items chosen in this research represent expectations from girls or boys in different aspects of their lives, it is concluded that they form a valid basis for the construction of the Gender Roles in Adolescence Scale as a self-rating instrument.

gender roles, adolescence, scale development