Androgyny

• Androgyny is where an individual displays an equal balance of masculine and feminine characteristics
• The Bem Sex Role Inventory was the first systematic attempt to measure androgyny using a rating scale of 60 traits to produce scores across two dimensions
• The two dimensions of the BSRI are masculinity-femininity and androgynous-undifferentiated
• The 3 categories of traits are masculine, feminine, and androgynous
• The BSRI produces quantitative data so is useful for research and when quantifying a dependent variable
• The BSRI was developed in the 1970s so is an outdated idea of gender identity
• The BSRI appeared to be valid and reliable as it used 50 male and 50 female judges to rate 200 traits in order to identify the strongest correlating traits for each gender
• The BSRI lacks objectivity as the rating scale is subjective and may differ
• Bem emphasised that androgynous people are more psychologically healthy as they are best suited to handle situations that require both masculine and feminine traits
• Bem's assumption has been criticised as some argue that people with more masculine traits are more highly valued in Western culture