Androgyny And Measuring Androgyny Flashcards
What is androgyny
Displaying a balance of masculine and feminine characteristics in one’s personality
What did Bem propose
Challenged the concept of two distinct gender identities, suggesting more than just two gender types by adding androgynous to the masculine and feminine identities
Why do androgynous people have better psychological well being
As individuals who are psychologically both masculine and feminine in equal measures are better equipped to adapt to a range of situations and contexts
Is a female who is very masculine androgynous
No, not a balance of male and female traits
Outline Bem’s study
-devised an inventory for measuring gender, BRSI- Bem Sex Role Inventory
-first systematic attempt to measure androgyny using a rating scale of 60 traits (20 masculine, feminine and neutral) to produce scores across two dimensions: masculinity-femininity and androgynous-undifferentiated
-asked over 600 ppts to rate each of the 60 items from 1(never true of me) to 7(always true of me)= ordinal data
-found that more people were androgynous than at the extremes and that androgynous people were most psychologically healthy and most males sex typed as masculine and most females sex typed as females
Examples of masculine traits
Competitive and aggressive
Examples of feminine traits
Tender and gentle, gullible and childish
Expand on strength that the scale appears to be valid and reliable
-BRSI developed by asking male and female judges to rate 200 traits in terms of how desirable they were for men and women, highest scorers in each category become the 20 feminine and masculine traits on the scale
-found high test-retest reliability as highly significant correlation when repeated on same participants a month later
-accurately measuring gender identity
Expand on limitation that there is evidence to challenge idea that androgynous individuals are more psychologically healthy
-Bem placed great emphasis on idea that androgynous individuals are more psychologically healthy as they are best places to deal with situations that demand a masculine, feminine or androgynous response
-assumption has since been challenged as some argue people who display a greater proportion of masculine traits are better adjusted as these are more highly valued in some societies
-suggests Bem’s research may not have taken into account the social and cultural context in which it was developed
Expand on limitation that inventory based upon what American students assessed as desirable traits for men and women in the 1970s
-some traits outdated and don’t match our current view of gender roles eg feminine traits being child-like and gullible
-in 2001 sample of students failed to reach agreement on what adjectives stereotypically masculine/feminine
-lacks temporal validity as gender traits may not be as distinct in society now
Expand on limitation that BRSI is self-report
-relies on individual having insight into their personality and behaviour which not everyone has
-respondents may also lie/exaggerate due to social desirability bias in order to seem more feminine/masculine
-may tell us very little about individuals masculine and feminine traits
