Androgny

• Androgyny

  Androgyny refers to a flexible gender role whereby an individual displays a balance of both masculine traits (e.g. firm and authoritative) and feminine traits (e.g. sensitive and empathetic). For example, a person may be competitive and agressive at work (masculine) but a caring and sensitive person at home (feminine)
• list 3 masc traits

  Authoritative, Athletic and Ambitious
• list 3 fem traits

  Empathetic, gentle and softly spoken
• describe the procedures of Bem's BSRI


  the Sex Role Inventory (BSRI) to measure androgyny. The BSRI is a 60-item inventory comprising of 20 masculine traits (e.g. athletic and

  assertive), 20 feminine traits (e.g. shy and affectionate) and 20 neutral traits (e.g. helpful and likable). When completing the BSRI, participants ratethemselves on each trait along a 7-point scale from almost never true to almost always true.
• Based on the ratings on Bem's BSRI participants are identified as either:

  • Masculine (high masculine score but low feminine score)

  • Feminine (high feminine score but low masculine score)

  • Androgynous (high masculine and feminine scores)

  • Undifferentiated (low masculine and feminine scores)
• Bem’s findings from the BSRI

  -People who scored as highly androgynous reported more positive feelings about themselves (higher self-esteem) as well as viewing relationships with others as more positive

  -Therefore people who score as highly androgynous are psychologically healthier than people who are strongly masculine, strongly feminine or undifferentiated.

  -Perhaps because androgynous do not suppress themselves to fit in with sex role stereotypes. Androgyny = freedom and flexibility to perform masculine or feminine behaviours regardless of one’s biological sex.
• Evaluation of Bem’s BSRI as a measure of androgyny:

  -Low in temporal validity.

  -Low in cultural validity.

  -High in test-retest reliability.

  -At risk of social desirability bias and subjectivity.