Androgyny and the BSRI

Question 1

What are the costs of maintaining gender role stereotypes?

Answer 1

Limiting opportunities for boys and girls, ignoring talent, and perpetuating unfairness in our society.

Question 2

What did Bem (1974) do?

Answer 2

Challenged this gender role stereotypes, suggesting more than just two gender types

Question 3

What was the other gender type Bem (1974) identified?

Answer 3

Androgynous

Question 4

What does androgynous mean?

Answer 4

Displacing a balance of masculine and feminine characteristics in one’s personality.

Question 5

What does the BSRI stand for?

Answer 5

Bem Sex Role Inventory

Question 6

What is the BSRI?

Answer 6

The 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
androgynous-undifferentiated

Question 7

Scoring of Bem (1974):

Answer 7

• Masculinity and femininity are independent traits
• They are not inevitably linked to sex
• A person can score high or low on either or both regardless of their sex

Question 8

Development of BSRI:

Answer 8

• 50 female and 50 males rated 200 traits in terms of how desirable they were for men and women
• Those with the highest traits for either gender where on a scale
• Was then piloted the BSRI with over 1000 students

Question 9

Findings of Bem (1974):

Answer 9

• BSRI matched description of participants

- Follow up study with small sample revealed similar scores (high test-retest reliability)

Question 10

Method of Bem (1974):

Answer 10

quantitative, self-report measure

Question 11

Classification of BSRI types:

Answer 11

Masculine = high masc, low fem
Femnine = low masc, high fem
Androgynous = high masc, high fem
Undifferentiated = low masc, low fem

Question 12

Conclusion of Bem (1974):

Answer 12

• Androgynous more comfortable with themselves
• In western culture you are seen abnormal if not inhibited from associating with the other gender in your personality
• Androgynous people are able to handle situations in flexible ways

Question 13

Limitations of Bem (1974)

Answer 13

• Temporal validity
• Cultural validity
• Gender is too complex and is oversimplified by using a questionnaire.