Androgyny

Question 1

Defining Androgyny

Answer 1

A balance of masc and fem traits.

Refers to a balance of masculine and feminine traits, behaviours and attitudes.
E.g, someone who is sensitive at home but aggressive at work.

Question 2

Androgyny is Positive

Answer 2

Bem (1974) suggested that high androgyny is associated with psychological well-being.

Individuals who have a balance of masc and fem traits are better equipped to adapt to a range of situations - wider set of skills.

Question 3

Bem Sex Role Inventory (BSRI)

Answer 3

1) Created a self-reported questionnaire - 50 males and 50 females rate personality traits (like aggression, passivity, shyness, kindness) as being masculine or feminine or neutral.
2) Used a 7-point likert scale.
3) If scored highly for both feminine and masculine traits –> androgynous.
4) 4 categories: masculine, feminine, androgynous and undifferentiated.
—> Resulted in 34% of male pps & 27% female pps were androgynous.

Question 4

Strength of Bem’s Study

Answer 4

MEASURED QUANTITATIVELY

1) Bem’s numerical approach is useful when it is necessary to quantify a dependent
variable but Spence (1984) suggests a qualitative approach may represent gender identity better.

2) One compromise is to combine different scales. For example, PAQs add another dimension (instrumentality and expressivity) to Bem’s masculinity-femininity dimension.
—> This suggests that quantitative together with qualitative approaches may be useful for studying different aspects of gender identity.

Question 5

Strength of BSRI

Answer 5

VALID AND RELIABLE

1) Development of the scale involved 50 males and 50 females judging 200 traits in terms of gender desirability. The top 20 in each case were used. Piloting with 1000 students showed the BSRI reflected their gender identity (validity).
2) A follow-up study involving a smaller sample of the same students produced similar scores when the students were tested a month later, suggesting high test-retest reliability.
—> Together this evidence suggests that the BSRI had a degree of both validity and reliability at the time it was developed.

Question 6

Limitations of BSRI

Answer 6

LACK INSIGHT INTO THEIR GENDER IDENTITY

1) Gender is a social construct which may be more open to interpretation than sex.
2) Furthermore, the questionnaire’s scoring system is subjective and ppl’s application of the 7-point scale may differ.
—> This suggests that the BSRI may not be a scientific way of assessing gender identity.

REDUCTIONIST

1) Masculine and feminine traits are reduced down to single scores –> It is difficult to fully encapsulate femininity and masculinity in numbers.

LACKS TEMPORAL VALIDITY

1) The norms of gender would be outdated –> traits that were rated were what was desirable in the 1970s.
2) It is difficult to generalise the data to today’s population.