Androgyny

• Androgyny is defined as displaying a balance of masculine and feminine characteristics in your personality.
• BSRI MODEL

  • Sandra Bem developed a way to measure androgyny.
  • BSRI (Bem sex role inventory) is an assessment tool consisting of 20 male, 20 female, and 20 neutrual charactersitcs. Respondants rated themselves on a seven-point rating scale.
  • Your score was then characterised. (High masculine score, low feminine: overall= masculine vise versa.)
• Sandra Bem states that theirs a link between psychological well-being and being androgynous.
• A03 BSRI

  Strength) Valid and reliable way of measuring androgyny

  Scale was developed using 50 male and 50 female judges who rated traits in terms of how well they represented masculinity and femininity. The actual BSRI was conducted using 1000 students and the results generally showed that their scores aligned with their gender identity.

  -> The test was done again a month later and found similar results, which established test-retest reliability.
• A03 BSRI

  Limitation) People may not have insight into their degree of masculinity or femininity because "gender" is a social construct that's open to interpretation. Also, the scoring system is subjective and peoples application of the point scale will differ.

  -> This suggests the BSRI may not be an objective, scientific way of assessing androgyny.