Androgyny

• define androgyny


  describes a gender identity characterised by a healthy balance of masculine and feminine traits.
• what is Bem Sex-Role Inventory (BSRI)?

  • BSRI is a self-report questionnaire used to measure levels of androgyny.
  • Sandra Bem in the 1970s.
  • Includes 20 stereotypically masculine traits (e.g. aggression), 20 stereotypically feminine traits (e.g. friendliness) and 20 neutral traits (e.g. honesty).
  • The neutral traits are included to distract people from identifying the distinction between masculine and feminine traits
• evaluating the androgyny theory of gender (1)

  • lacks temporal validity. The BSRI was developed in the 1970s and is considered by critics to be outdated as the tool is based on old-fashioned gender stereotypes that are no longer relevant. Modern-day populations who are asked to agree on masculine and feminine stereotypes are not likely to hold the same opinions that laid the foundation for the BSRI. Therefore, the BSRI lacks validity and is no longer an accurate tool for investigating gender.
• evaluating the androgyny theory of gender (2)

  • lacking internal validity. The BSRI requires individuals to rate themselves against traits honestly and accurately, which may lead people to under or overestimate themselves, misinterpret questions/traits or consciously try to appear desirable to researchers. The consequence of these possibilities is a decrease in the internal validity of the BSRI and any conclusions drawn from research that utilises this tool.
• evaluating the androgyny theory of gender (3)

  • A strength of the BSRI is that it has been shown to be a reliable tool. Bem gave the BSRI to 600 students and found that a high number did indeed score androgynously. The reliability of these findings was tested during a second study, also conducted by Bem, four weeks after the first study took place. This second study included 56 of the original students. Bem found that the results from the first and second study correlated significantly, therefore the BSRI as a tool for investigating gender can be concluded as reliable
• evaluating the androgyny theory of gender (4)

  • Androgyny as a theory of gender is criticised for being experimentally reductionist. Gender identity is far too complex to be reduced to a single score in the way that the BSRI does. On the other hand, the androgynous theory of gender is more holistic than other theories since it acknowledges the benefits of having both masculine and feminine traits, whereas others such as the psychodynamic theory do not, instead claiming that children must learn the traditional and rigid masculine or feminine gender roles.
• evaluating the androgyny theory of gender (5)

  • ethnocentric: Claims that androgyny is the healthiest gender identity, ignore the cultural differences that exist worldwide. Androgyny is considered crucial to the mental wellbeing of individuals in western cultures; however, other cultures may disagree. As Margaret Mead found in her study of tribes in Papa New Guinea, some tribes valued masculine traits and some valued feminine traits. Therefore, assumptions about androgyny being the most ideal gender identity are culturally biased and should not be imposed on any non-Western culture.