androgyny

• what is androgyny?

  displaying a balance of masculine and feminine characteristics e.g. a man or woman who is aggressive and competitive but also caring and sensitive
• what did sandra bem develop?

  a method for measuring androgyny and suggested high androgyny is associated with psychological wellbeing. this is because individuals who are both masculine and feminine are better equipped to adapt to a range of situations whereas non-androgynous people would find this difficult
• what is the Bem Sex Role Inventory(BSRI)?

  a scale used to measure androgyny. the scale presents 60 traits, 20 masc, 20 fem and 20 neutral. respondents are required to rate themselves on a seven point rating scale for each item. 1 = never true 7= always true

  high masc, low fem = masc

  high fem, low masc = fem

  high masc, high fem = androgynous

  low fem, low masc = undifferentiated
• what is a strength of the BSRI?

  • androgyny is measured quantitatively
  • bem's numerical approach is more useful for research purposes. however spence (1984) argues that there is more to gender than a set of behaviours typical to one gender and quantitative methods would be better for analysing gender. one compromise is to combine both scales. for example the personal attribute questionnaire adds another dimension to bem's masculinity-femininity dimension
  • suggests both quantitative and qualitative approaches together are useful for studying androgyny
• what is a strength od the BSRI?

  • at the time it was developed it was a valid and reliable way of measuring androgyny
  • scale was developed by asking 50 males and 50 females to rate 200 traits in terms of how much they represented 'femaleness' and 'maleness'. the BSRI was then piloted with over 1000 students. a follow-up study involving a smaller sample were tested a month later which found high test-retest reliability
  • shows the BSRI is both a valid and reliable way to assess androgyny
• what is a limitation of the BSRI?

  • developed over 40 years ago and behaviours regarded as typical and acceptable in relation to gender have changed significantly
  • bem's scale is made up of stereotypical ideas of masculinity and femininity which may be outdated, also scale derived from people from the US which may not be able to be shared across all cultures and societies
  • BSRI may lack temporal validity and population validity and may not be a suitable measure of gender identity
• what is a limitation of the BSRI?

  • people may not have insight into their degree of masculinity, femininity or androgyny
  • asking people to rate themselves on a questionnaire relies people to have an understanding of their personality and behaviour which they may not have. gender is a social construct and may be more open to interpretation than sex. questionnaires scoring system is subjective and peoples application of the 7 point scale may differ
  • suggests the BSRI may not be an objective, scientific way of assessing androgyny