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The Bem Sex Role Inventory (BSRI) is a widely-used measure of psychological masculinity, femininity, and androgyny (Bem in Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 54, 196-205, 1977 (See CR12)). Psychological androgyny is correlated with a host of positive outcomes, including self-esteem (Buckley and Carter in Sex Roles, 53, 647-661, 2005 (See CR22)) and social adjustment (Markstrom-Adams in Sex Roles, 21, 325-340, 1989 (See CR57)). However, little work has explored how gender role orientation relates to overall and risky health behaviors in college students. This study was designed to examine the potential pathways among gender role orientation, adaptability, and health behaviors in a sample of emerging adults. The sample included 199 students (mean age = 19.7 years) recruited from a mid-sized regional university in the Southwest U.S. Participants completed an online survey that included measures of gender role orientation, adaptability, physical health, and risky health behaviors. Quantitative analyses revealed that higher levels of masculinity and femininity predicted more positive health behaviors among both college men and women. Implications for emerging adult populations are discussed., Author(s): Stephanie Laura Masters [sup.1] , Amy Roberson Hayes [sup.2] Author Affiliations: (1) grid.411015.0, 0000 0001 0727 7545, Institute of Social Science Research, The University of Alabama, , Tuscaloosa, AL, [...]

Purpose: The aim of the study was to examine associations between speaking fundamental frequency ([f.sub.os]), vowel formant frequencies (F), listener perceptions of speaker gender, and vocal femininity-masculinity. Method: An exploratory study was undertaken to examine associations between [f.sub.os], [F.sub.1]-[F.sub.3], listener perceptions of speaker gender (nominal scale), and vocal femininity-masculinity (visual analog scale). For 379 speakers of Australian English aged 18-60 years, [f.sub.os] mode and [F.sub.1]-[F.sub.3] (12 monophthongs; total of 36 Fs) were analyzed on a standard reading passage. Seventeen listeners rated speaker gender and vocal femininity-masculinity on randomized audio recordings of these speakers. Results: Model building using principal component analysis suggested the 36 Fs could be succinctly reduced to seven principal components (PCs). Generalized structural equation modeling (with the seven PCs of F and [f.sub.os] as predictors) suggested that only [F.sub.2] and [f.sub.os] predicted listener perceptions of speaker gender (male, female, unable to decide). However, listener perceptions of vocal femininity-masculinity behaved differently and were predicted by [F.sub.1], [F.sub.3], and the contrast between monophthongs at the extremities of the [F.sub.1] acoustic vowel space, in addition to [F.sub.2] and [f.sub.os]. Furthermore, listeners' perceptions of speaker gender also influenced ratings of vocal femininity-masculinity substantially. Conclusion: Adjusted odds ratios highlighted the substantially larger contribution of F to listener perceptions of speaker gender and vocal femininity-masculinity relative to [f.sub.os] than has previously been reported., Gender is one of the first pieces of social information accessible from a speaker's voice (Kreiman & Sidtis, 2011; Schweinberger et al., 2014). Findings of studies examining event-related potentials of [...]

To contribute to the discussion about how masculinity--understood as a configuration of gender practices (Connell 2000)--is reproduced, this paper analyzes fathers' discourse about the gender of their sons and daughters. I carried out a qualitative longitudinal study in Chile during which 28 first-time fathers were interviewed before and after their child's birth or arrival (adoption). I suggest that these fathers see gender in essentialist, dichotomous, and hierarchical terms. They expect to shape their sons' gender practices according to hegemonic masculinity (discouraging gender practices associated with femininity or homosexuality). In the study, no attempt to reformulate masculine gender practices was observed but, rather, an interest on the fathers' part in maintaining the patriarchal gender order. Keywords: boys, doing gender, fathering, hegemonic masculinity, heteronormativity, In The Men and the Boys, Raewyn Connell (2000) argues that it is important to study the process of configuration of the practices that comprise masculinity and to investigate the [...]

Dans ce texte, les auteures relient la vaccination HPV (papillomavirus humain) a un processus socio-politique elargi qui veut medicaliser et pathologiser la sexualite feminine. Deux jeunes femmes qui ont refuse [...]

THIS DISCUSSION ADDS TO the body of literature on young girls and their relationships with each other, through an exploration of the experiences of self-identified 'tomboys' and 'sissy girls' in early childhood. It does this through the memories of experiences identified by women. It is not our intention to have adult women speaking on behalf of children; rather, their experiences demonstrate how gendered identity is constructed and negotiated in childhood. They represent critical points in the process of gender construction in early childhood for each of these women, and have practical implications for early childhood professionals working with children today. In all cases, the women considered these critical moments as fundamental in shaping their lives. McLeod and Yates (2006) point out that reflexive memory can provide new readings of the past and present. These experiences provide a valuable avenue in which to gain insight to the complexities and contradictions associated with young girls' performances of gender. In addition, they provide some insight to the complexities of girls' relationships with each other, extending understandings of the constitution of girls' desires and friendships. Their earliest memories of being gendered subjects focused on heteronormative regulations to which children were expected to adhere, with each carrying a sense of injustice about these practices throughout their lives., SINCE THE EARLY 1990s, feminist scholars have theorised the gendered experiences of being a girl, or of girlhood (Aapola, Gonik & Harris, 2005; Driscoll, 2002; Griffin, 2004; Harris, 2004a, 2004b; [...]

Previous research suggests many middle-class white women attempt to maintain femininity during labor and birth. There is also evidence that women who give birth outside the medical model may engage in more gender-deviant behaviors. The current study examines women's accounts of gender performances during birth in the midwives model of care. Participants describe themselves engaging in a number of gender-deviant behaviors, without apology or overt remorse. However, participants also describe themselves engaging in activities during labor and birth that are traditionally considered feminine, including domestic tasks, care-giving and adhering to beauty norms; some defined childbirth itself as a feminine activity. Thus, participants are not simply adhering to or defying dominant notions of femininity, but are engaging in a complex set of gender behaviors. It is argued that study participants are prioritizing certain aspects of femininity--in particular, the 'good mother'--over others. Keywords Childbirth * Gender performance * Femininity * Midwives * Reproduction DOI 10.1007/s12147-009-9084-x

To better understand women with same-sex attractions who do not identify as lesbian or bisexual (i.e., unlabeled women), we examined differences and similarities among self-designated lesbian, bisexual, and unlabeled women. Two hundred eight non-heterosexual women ranging in age from 18 to 69 years (85% identified as White) completed an online survey examining indicators of sexual orientation and beliefs and self-perceptions associated with sexual identity. Compared to lesbians, unlabeled women reported the weakest collective sexual identities and, along with bisexuals, they were less likely to view sexual orientation as fixed, being more focused on the 'person, not the gender.' Unlabeled women reported the greatest likelihood that their sexual identity would change in the future. These findings highlight the complexity of women's sexual identities and question the adequacy of categorical approaches. KEYWORDS sexual identity, women's sexuality, lesbian, bisexual, labels DOI: 10.1080/00918360903275443

This article, utilizing an exploratory methodological approach, examines to what extent historical materialist theory can explain the omission of Black senior women from discourse on sexuality in the United States. Employing a historical materialist methodological framework, this study analyzes the relationship between the obsolescence of Black senior women's sexuality and the historical super-exploitation of Black women's sexuality in the United States. This research examines: (1) The ways in which the analysis of Black senior sexuality differs from that of the current hegemonic discourse on White sexuality. (2) The ways in which the use of negative propaganda have affected the image of Black female sexuality, and in turn Black senior women's sexuality. (3) The ways in which Black senior women's sexuality is affected by the unique relationship Black women have historically maintained with the state, as both producers in the wage-labor force and reproducers of the wage-labor pool. (4) The current state of Black senior women's sexuality, including: practices; taboos; health; freedom of sexual expression; and the sex ratio imbalance. This exploratory analysis reveals that, as scholars often analyze a generic sexuality in the United States without regard for the unique social, political, and economic contexts of Black American life or the senior experience, little attention has been paid to Black senior sexuality. This leaves an astounding gap in the literature. Adequate analysis of the state of and oppression of Black senior sexuality must take into consideration the larger structural and institutional framework, notably, the economic, political, and social framework, i.e., historical materialist theory. Such a perspective would help reveal the structural factors associated with Black sexuality, Black senior sexuality, and more specifically Black senior women's sexuality. Keywords Ageism * Black women * Sexuality * Black sexuality * Capitalism * Historical materialism * Social rhetoric

In this study, the author uses ethnographic and interview data from Pussy Palace, a lesbian/queer bathhouse in Toronto, Canada, to examine the ways in which the bathhouse space impacted participants' sexuality, behaviors, and notions of self. The Toronto Women's Bathhouse Committee (TWBC), an explicitly feminist and queer organization, is responsible for putting on Pussy Palace events and in creating an atmosphere that is simultaneously sexual and safe. Findings indicate elements of both spatial praxis and sexual agency, wherein individuals expressed being able to 'take risks,' 'find their sexuality,' and 'discover who they are' in a safe space, where nonnormative bodies and sexualities are to be celebrated. Although participants expressed feeling 'liberated,' many also described feeling anxious, awkward, and insecure. Within a sexual space where bodies are exposed and highly salient, these anxieties worked to inhibit and curtail bodily expression. The author concludes by discussing the significance of spaces like Pussy Palace for lesbian/queer individuals when it comes to sexual expression and the need for further research when it comes to examining lesbian/queer sexualities and public sexual cultures. KEYWORDS bathhouse, lesbian/queer, sexual agency, queer, safe space, feminist, Pussy Palace

Autogynephilia, an erotic interest in the thought or image of oneself as a woman, has been described as a sexual interest of some male-to-female transsexuals (MTFs); the term has not been applied to natal women. To test the possibility that natal women also experience autogynephilia, an Autogynephilia Scale for Women (ASW) was created from items used to categorize MTFs as autogynephilic in other studies. A questionnaire that included the ASW was distributed to a sample of 52 professional women employed at an urban hospital; 29 completed questionnaires were returned for analysis. By the common definition of ever having erotic arousal to the thought or image of oneself as a woman, 93% of the respondents would be classified as autogynephilic. Using a more rigorous definition of 'frequent' arousal to multiple items, 28% would be classified as autogynephilic. The implications of these findings are discussed concerning the sexuality of women and the meaning of autogynephilia for MTFs. KEYWORDS autogynephilia, female sexuality, gender dysphoria, gender identity disorder, paraphilia, transsexual

In two experiments the authors examined the effect of vocal cues on warmth and competence judgments when other competing information was concurrently available. In Experiment 1, using male and female speakers posing as job applicants, the authors investigated how applicants' vocal cues and resume information impacted judgments of competence and warmth. Results showed competence was solely affected by vocal femininity--applicants with masculine voices were rated as more competent than applicants with feminine voices, regardless of applicant gender or resume information. Warmth was predominantly affected by resumes--applicants with feminine resumes were rated as warmer than applicants with masculine resumes. In Experiment 2, the potent effect of vocal femininity on competence was replicated even under conditions where the competing background information was directly diagnostic of warmth and competence. Furthermore, the authors found that the impact of vocal femininity on competence was largely due to the overlap between perceptions of vocal femininity and babyishness. Keywords: voice; vocal femininity; vocal babyishness; individuating information; gender; stereotyping

The authors tested the prediction that women prefer clothing that is more revealing and sexy when fertility is highest within the ovulatory cycle. Eighty-eight women reported to the lab twice: once on a low-fertility day of the cycle and once on a high-fertility day (confirmed using hormone tests). In each session, participants posed for full-body photographs in the clothing they wore to the lab, and they drew illustrations to indicate an outfit they would wear to a social event that evening. Although each data source supported the prediction, the authors found the most dramatic changes in clothing choice in the illustrations. Ovulatory shifts in clothing choice were moderated by sociosexuality, attractiveness, relationship status, and relationship satisfaction. Sexually unrestricted women, for example, showed greater shifts in preference for revealing clothing worn to the laboratory near ovulation. The authors suggest that clothing preference shifts could reflect an increase in female--female competition near ovulation. Keywords: menstrual cycle; ovulation; clothing; female sexuality; sociosexuality

This special issue is based on papers presented at a workshop on New Ideas for Middle Eastern Societies: Analyzing Women's Writings, held at the University of California, Los Angeles, in [...]

Growth curve modeling was used to examine the impact of social role experiences (e.g., marital support, occupational prestige) and birth cohort on mean-level differences and age-related changes in positive personality traits indicative of either femininity or masculinity in 758 mothers heterogeneous in age, assessed 4 times over 2 decades. Both femininity and masculinity increased significantly from mean ages 39 through 59; each was predictive of an age change in the other. Low masculinity was associated with a more rapid increase in femininity, whereas high occupational prestige decreased the magnitude of association between masculinity and femininity. Femininity increased with more marital support but decreased with unmarried status, more children at home, and working full or part time; among full-time workers, that effect was modified by marital support. Masculinity increased with full-time work and high occupational prestige. A trend for differing levels of femininity, and contrasting associations of masculinity with femininity and marital conflict in women born after 1944 compared with those born earlier, suggests shifting social norms and gender relations in the marital role. Keywords: middle age, women, femininity, masculinity, marital role

To study how people weight information when judging their own and others' masculinity-femininity (M-F), I asked 170 male and 205 female participants to rate themselves and their best friends on M-F, instrumentality, expressiveness, and gender-typed hobby preferences. Also, each participant judged the M-F of eight fictitious women (or men) described as possessing low or high instrumentality, low or high expressiveness, and hobbies typical of men or women. Regression analyses showed that gender-typed hobby preferences predicted M-F ratings of self and friends more strongly than instrumentality or expressiveness did. Similarly, analyses of participants' judgments of fictitious people showed that participants weighted gender-typed hobbies more strongly than instrumentality and expressiveness when judging targets' M-F. All results converged to show that lay people's judgments of M-F are based more on information about gender-typed interests than on information about instrumentality or expressiveness. KEY WORDS: masculinity-femininity; personality judgments; instrumentality; expressiveness; gender-typed interests.

This article describes the construction of the Conformity to Feminine Norms Inventory (CFNI), which was designed to assess women's conformity to an array of feminine norms found in the dominant culture in the United States. In addition, we present four studies in which the psychometric properties of the CFNI were examined. In Study 1, factor analysis indicated that the CFNI is comprised of eight distinct factors labeled as Nice in Relationships, Thinness, Modesty, Domestic, Care for Children, Romantic Relationship, Sexual Fidelity, and Invest in Appearance. Results from Study 2 indicated that the CFNI has strong internal consistency estimates and differentiates college women from college men. In addition, Study 2 demonstrated that the CFNI Total score and subscale scores relate to Bem Sex Role Inventory and Feminist Identity Development Scale scores in theoretically consistent patterns. Study 3 indicated that the CFNI Total score and several of the subscales significantly and positively relate to scores on the Eating Disorder Inventory. Finally, Study 4 demonstrated that the CFNI Total score and subscale scores have high test-retest estimates for a 2-3 week period. The discussion focuses on potential uses of the CFNI, limitations to the study, and suggestions for future research. KEY WORDS: femininity; gender roles; women; feminine norms.

The aim of this study was to examine the masculinity and femininity scales of Bem Sex Role Inventory (BSRI) among Turkish university students. Five hundred thirty-six students (280 men and 256 women) volunteered to complete the short-form of the BSRI and answer demographic questions. In factor analyses, the original factor structure (Bem, 1981) was found both in the men's and women's data. Comparisons of the factor structures with target rotation (Procrustes rotation) and comparison indexes showed no difference between the factor structures found among men and women. The internal consistency of the masculinity and femininity scales was acceptable, and t-tests showed that women scored higher on the femininity scale, and men scored higher on the masculinity scale. There were significant differences between men and women only on two masculinity items, but significant differences were found in 8 (of 10) femininity items. KEY WORDS: BSRI; factor structure; Turkey.

The gender order is subject to challenge and change, particularly when situations arise in which existing inequalities become apparent and therefore must be managed. This study examines one such situation by analyzing how conservative Christian women, who were married to gay men, negotiated feminine identities in marital situations that challenged the legitimacy of traditional gender ideologies and practices. To investigate how these women coped, in-depth interviews were conducted with 15 participants of Christian support groups for wives of homosexual men. Through support group participation, these wives learned two key strategies, redefining homosexuality and submitting to God, to transform the meanings and emotional experiences associated with their marital situations. An analysis of the use and the consequences of these strategies shows how they empowered the wives to positively redefine their marriages and themselves while justifying the existing pattern of gender relations. Keywords: marriage; Christianity; femininity; support groups; homosexuality

Hofstede's dimension of national culture termed Masculinity-Femininity [Hofstede (1991). Cultures and organizations: software of the mind. London: McGraw-Hill] is proposed to be of relevance for understanding national-level differences in self-assessed agoraphobic fears. This prediction is based on the classical work of Fodor [Fodor (1974). In: V. Franks & V. Burtle (Eds.), Women in therapy: new psychotherapies for a changing society. New York: Brunner/Mazel]. A unique data set comprising 11 countries (total N = 5491 students) provided the opportunity of scrutinizing this issue. It was hypothesized and found that national Masculinity (the degree to which cultures delineate sex roles, with masculine or tough societies making clearer differentiations between the sexes than feminine or modest societies do) would correlate positively with national agoraphobic fear levels (as assessed with the Fear Survey Schedule--III). Following the correction for sex and age differences across national samples, a significant and large effect-sized national-level (ecological) r = +0.67 (P = 0.01) was found. A highly feminine society such as Sweden had the lowest, whereas the champion among the masculine societies, Japan, had the highest national Agoraphobic fear score. Keywords: Sex roles; Agoraphobia; Cross-cultural assessment; National masculinity-femininity; Hofstede; Fodor

Feminist writers critical of the codependency model have argued that codependency refers to an overly strong conformity to the traditional feminine role. Canonical correlation analysis using data from 192 first-year university students found a moderate association between codependency and gender-role identification. The specific nature of this association varied with different aspects of codependency. External focus (approval seeking) was associated with high scores on the negative aspects of femininity and low scores on positive aspects of masculinity. Self-sacrificing was associated with high positive femininity and low negative masculinity. Women scored higher than men on one aspect of codependency: external focus. Although the data are broadly consistent with a feminist critique of codependency, the relationship between codependency and gender-role identification appears to be more complex than previously suggested. KEY WORDS: codependency; gender roles; femininity; masculinity.

Nathalie Koivula, Department of Psychology, Stockholm University, S-106 91 Stockholm, Sweden., The labeling of different activities as feminine and masculine is largely a social construction based on stereotyped expectations regarding gender and perceived gender differences. Sports have generally been labeled as [...]

The 4 factor scales of the Psychological Inventory of Criminal Thinking Styles (PICTS) were correlated with the Femininity and Masculinity scales of the Bem Sex Role Inventory (BSRI) in 100 adult male (33% Caucasian, 44% African American, 21% Hispanic, 1% other) and 100 adult female (50% Caucasian, 30% African American, 8% Hispanic, 12% other) federal prison inmates. It was hypothesized that the BSRI Masculinity scale would correlate negatively with the PICTS problem avoidance scale and positively with the PICTS self-deception/assertion scale, and that the BSRI Femininity scale would correlate negatively with the PICTS interpersonal hostility scale and positively with PICTS denial of harm scale. In male inmates, as predicted, the BSRI masculinity scale correlated negatively with the PICTS problem avoidance scale and positively with the self-deception/assertion scale, although the latter coefficient fell short of statistical significance In the case of female inmates the BSRI femininity scale correlated positi vely with denial of harm but failed to correlate significantly with interpersonal hostility. The implications of these results are discussed. KEY WORDS: PICTS; BSRI; masculinity; femininity; criminal thinking.

Masculinity and femininity are both psychological and sociocultural constructs that test developers have attempted to assess for many years. The author examines the history of the measurement of masculinity and femininity from the 1920s through 2000, addresses relevant theory, and considers criticisms of masculinity and femininity measurement as well as the challenges of responding to them. Implications of the use of such measures by counselors, researchers, and counselor educators are discussed., Like most psychological constructs, masculinity and femininity are abstract concepts. Yet, for several decades researchers have been unsuccessful in adequately measuring masculinity and femininity, which suggests that these constructs may [...]

Murnen and Byrne (1991) have defined hyperfemininity as an exaggerated adherence to a feminine gender role as it relates to heterosexual relationships. Hyperfeminine women believe their success is determined by maintaining a romantic relationship with a man, and that their sexuality can be used to maintain this relationship. Extrapolating from theory concerning gender and status, including expectation states theory, it was hypothesized that a woman's expression of hyperfeminine attitudes would lead male college student participants to agree with her in response to a persuasive speech because it would indicate her compliance with women's subordinate status. It was found that men (but not women) who listened to a very hyperfeminine (high) speaker agreed with her more than did men who heard a mildly hyperfeminine (low) speaker, despite the fact that the high hyperfeminine speaker was judged less competent and knowledgeable. Implications of the results, including the idea that the sexual objectification of women perpetuates women's subordinate status, were discussed.

The cultural perception of university students in Poland, the US, Finland, and the Netherlands was tested, focusing on how the students responded to a video displaying Polish gender behavior. Topics include the relative definition of typical behavior, perceptions of masculinity and femininity, and cross cultural perceptual differences.

The relationship between desirable and undesirable aspects of masculinity and femininity and drinking and eating was investigated. A sample of 144 university women in Australia completed questionnaires that assessed masculinity and femininity, reported drinking, alcohol dependence, eating restraint, frequency of dieting, and overeating. Evidence of a common underlying dimension linking aspects of problem drinking and overeating to undesirable masculine characteristics was found. The results are consistent with the view that women engage in excessive consummatory behaviors such as bingeing to deal with their gender-role conflict., The relationship between problem drinking and disordered eating has been well documented in both clinical and nonclinical samples of women (Holderness, Brooks-Gunn, & Warren, 1994; Killen et al., 1993). A [...]