Androgyny Flashcards
Androgyny
a flexible gender role where you have both masculine and femanine traits equally. It was added to teh gender identities by Sandra Bem
What scale is used to measure Androgyny
Bem Sex role inventory (BSRI)
What was the BSRI testing
20 masculine, femanine and neutral traits
What did the BSI produce
A masculinity score, M/F are independant traits so they do not influence one another.
Androgyny and psychological health
Bem suggested that people were androgynous were more psychologically healthy as they can cope woyj a range of situations.
Neilson et al- strict adherence to masculinity in veterens was associated with more severe PTSD
Strength- high reliability and validity
similar scores found on a test-re-test a month later. It was piloted for 1000+ students, results corresponded with participants own description of gender identity
Limitation- not culturally or historically generalisable
It was tested on American students in teh 1970s so isn’t generalisable to all societies.
Imposed etic as independence is not ideal in collectivist cultures.
Limitation- based on self report
Peoples perceptions of a 7 point scale are different
relies on people understanding their personality and behaviour, gender is a subjective, social construct.
Limitation- oversimplified
Numerical approach which is quantified. A mix of qualitative and quantified may be more appropriate. Janet Spence argues there is more to gender than set behaviours.
