Topic three: gender variations and androgyny

What is gender identity disorder?

A.k.a. gender dysphoria

Biologically prescribed sex doesn’t reflect the gender they identify with

What are sex-role stereotypes?

The set of beliefs and preconceived ideas about what’s expected or appropriate for men and women in a given society/social group

What can reinforce sex-role stereotypes?

By parents, peers, the media, and other institutions, such as schools

What can sex-role stereotypes lead to?

Sexist assumptions

What is androgyny?

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

How did Bem develop the Bem Sex Role Inventory (1974)?

50 male and 50 female judges to rate 200 traits in terms of how much the traits represented ‘maleness’ and ‘femaleness’

Traits scored highest in each became the 20 masculine and 20 feminine traits on the scale

What is the Bem Sex-Role Inventory (BSRI)?

Scale that presents 20 typically ‘masculine’ and 20 typically ‘feminine traits, and 20 ‘neutral’ traits

Respondents rate themselves on seven-point scale for each trait

Scores classified on the basis on ‘masculinity-femininity’ and ‘androgynous-undifferentiated’

What did Sandra Bem suggest about high androgyny?

Associated with psychological well-being and strong personal identity (feel secure and safe in who they are)

They are better equipped to adapt to a range of situations

Evaluate the BSRI

Measured quantitively - Spence (1984) argued that there’s more to gender than a set of behaviours typical of one gender or the other, thus qualitative methods are better

Appears to be valid and reliable at time it was developed - pilot study where results corresponded with own description of gender identity (follow up study produced similar scores, test-rest reliability) - study is valid and reliable

Developed 40 years ago so may lack historical validity and generalisability