Androgyny Flashcards
What is androgyny?
Displacing a balance of both masculine and feminine characteristics in one’s personality, it can be applied to either males or females.
What is the Bem Sex Role Inventory?
It is the first systematic attempt to measure androgyny using a rating scale of 60 traits (20 masculine, 20 feminine and 20 neutral) to produce scores across two dimensions: masculinity- femininity and androgynous- undifferentiated
Give two examples of androgyny
- a woman is aggressive in her work role, yet caring and sympathetic as a mother
- a man may be forceful within his work role, but also empathetic and caring as a father
Who introduced the concept of androgyny?
Sandra Bem
Describe Bem’s study
Bem constructed an inventory/self-report to measure masculinity, femininity and androgyny. 100 judges (50 males and 50 females) rated 200 traits for how desirable they were for men and women. Based on the judge's ratings, 20 traits were chosen for a masculinity scale and 20 for a femininity scale. A further 20 neutral traits were also chosen
These traits were then used on the BSRI (Bem Sex Role Inventory) where over 100 students rated themselves between 1 and 7 on each trait. Scores are then classified into the categories: • Masculine - high masc, low fem • Feminine - low masc, high fem • Androgynous - high masc, high fem • undifferentiated - low masc, low fem
Bem’s research confirmed her view that individuals possess masculine and feminine traits in varying proportions.
Bem referred to highly masculine men and highly feminine women as ‘sex-typed’ and argued that ‘sex-typed’ individuals were restricted by gender roles and had poorer psychological health. Whereas androgynous individuals had better psychological adjustment.
What were some of the masculine traits in the BSRI?
- athletic
- dominant
- ambitious
- competitive
- aggressive
What were some of the feminine traits in the BSRI?
- loves children
- gentle
- yielding
- affectionate
- understanding
- shy
What were some of the neutral traits in the BSRI?
- likeable
- jealous
- happy
- adaptable
EVALUATION OF BSRI
Name 4 limitations of the BSRI
- culturally and historically bias
- the association between androgyny and well being
- oversimplifies a complex concept
- measuring gender identity using questionnaires
EVALUATION OF BSRI
Give one advantage of the BSRI
The scale would appear to be reliable as a follow up study involving a smaller sample of the same students revealed similar scores when the students were tested a month later.
This suggests that the scale has high test-retest reliability.
EVALUATION OF BSRI
How is the inventory culturally and historically bias?
Bem’s research took place 40 years ago and was carried out with Californian students in the ‘hippie’ era. Behaviours that are regarded as ‘typical’ and ‘acceptable’ - particularly in relation to gender - have changed significantly since then. Bem’s scale is made up of stereotypical ideas of masculinity and femininity that be outdated and lacking in temporal validity.
In addition, the scale was devised by American judges. Western noting of ‘maleness’ and ‘femaleness’ may not be shared across all cultures and societies.
However, research carried out in 1998 found that 58/60 adjectives still fitted into the three scales. Therefore Bem’s work does demonstrate temporal validity - continued to be a god measurement of sex role stereotypes even 40 years after it was devised.
EVALUATION OF BSRI
Give a limitation of BSRI to do with Bem’s association between androgyny and psychological well-being
Within her research, Bem placed great emphasis on the idea that androgynous individuals are more psychologically healthy as they are best placed in situations that demand a masculine, feminine or androgynous response.
This assumption has since been challenged. Some researchers have argued that people who display a greater proportion of masculine traits are better adjusted as these are more highly valued and seen as superior in Western society.
This suggests that Bem’s research may not have taken adequate account of the social and cultural context in which it was developed.
EVALUATION OF BSRI
How is the BSRI an oversimplification?
Some argue that gender identity is too complex to be reduced to a single score. More contemporary approaches to measuring androgyny attempt to measure additional aspects of gender-related behaviour, such as interests and abilities rather than simply personality characteristics.
This suggests that to understand gender identity more fully, broader issues need to be considered.
EVALUATION OF BSRI
Give a weakness to do with measuring gender identity using questionnaires
Asking people to rate themselves on a questionnaire relies on an understanding of their personality and behaviour that they may not possibly have. Gender is a hypothetical construct which is much more open to interpretation than sec which is a biological fact.
The questionnaire’s scoring system is subjective and people’s interpretations of the meaning of each end of the 7 point scale may differ.
This means that these questionnaires may not yield an accurate description of a person’s gender.
