Document Type

Article

First Advisor

Dr. Paul Koch

Peer Reviewed

1

Publication Date

Spring 5-2018

Scholarship Domain(s)

Scholarship of Discovery

Abstract

The Bem Sex-Role Inventory (BSRI) is a tool created by Sandra Bem in the 1970’s which is aimed at measuring an individual’s androgyny. Critiques concerning the theoretical and methodological framework of the BSRI suggest that it is in need of an update. The purpose of my research was to determine if and what adjustments were needed for the BSRI. An adjusted version of the short form of the BSRI was distributed to undergraduate students on a small Christian university campus in the Midwest. Respondents rated traits from the BSRI in regards to social desirability, personal desirability, and gendered connotation. The results exhibited that three traits, forceful, dominant, and aggressive are no longer viewed as either socially or personally desirable, indicating that they may need to be removed and replaced on the BSRI. In addition, male respondents rated traditionally feminine traits such as affectionate, warm, compassionate, gentle, sympathetic, sensitive to the needs of others, soothes hurt feelings, understanding, and, loves children to be less desirable than their female counterparts, although they still viewed them as generally desirable. Several masculine traits including willing to take a stand, defends own beliefs, independent, and strong personality also received more androgynous classifications indicating that the hard lines between what is viewed as masculine and feminine may be slowly disappearing.

Comments

Cohort 8

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

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