Sex and Gender - androgyny

Question 1

Androgyny

Answer 1

• displaying a balance of masculine and feminine traits in one’s personality

Question 2

Outline Bem’s sex role inventory

Answer 2

• Sandra Bem developed a method for measuring androgyny
• identified a set of characteristics that would commonly be identified as masculine, feminine or neutral
• 20x each
• Participants had to rate themselves on each characteristic from 1-7

Question 3

Bem’s findings

Answer 3

• the more androgynous, the more adaptable you are
• better psychological wellbeing

Question 4

Weakness - temporal validity

Answer 4

• scale was developed 40 years ago
• views on gender traits may have changed - constant developments in society

Question 5

Weakness - self awareness

Answer 5

P: people may have lower self awareness
E: people may not have an insight into their degree of femininity or masculinity
E: asking people to rate themselves in a questionnaire requires prior understanding of personality and behaviour. Gender is a social construct, so may be more open to interpretation
L: lacks validity

Question 6

Weakness - link between androgyny and wellbeing

Answer 6

P: may not be a link between androgyny and wellbeing
E: Bem placed emphasis on the idea that androgynous individuals are more psychologically healthy
E: this assumption has been challenged - people who develop a greater proportion of masculine traits are better adjusted as these are more valued in individualist cultures
L: results not generalisable

Question 7

Strength - method

Answer 7

P: Bem’s method had high validity
E: asked 50 males and 50 females to rate 200 traits of maleness and femaleness - highest rated traits became part of the 20
E: high reliability - pilot study done to 1000 students, follow up study produced similar score
L: results are reliable