Changing Perceptions of Masculinity and Femininity in America?: Revisiting the Bem Sex-Role Inventory

Author

Sarah Ann Bell, University of New Hampshire, DurhamFollow

Date of Award

Spring 2022

Project Type

Senior Honors Thesis

College or School

COLA

Department

Sociology

Program or Major

Sociology

Degree Name

Bachelor of Arts

First Advisor

Catherine Moran

Abstract

This study replicated previous research regarding college students’ perceptions of personality and character traits as “masculine”, “feminine”, or “neutral .” The sample consisted of 56 undergraduate students recruited from introductory sociology classes at a public university in New England. Participants completed online surveys where they ranked how desirable it is in American society for a man or for a woman to possess each of 60 traits used in the Bem Sex-Role Inventory. While participants ranked some traits as less gendered than 20 years ago, aligning with previous research, they ranked other traits as more gendered than those traits had previously been rated. This ran counter to predictions in previous research that all the traits on the BSRI would become less gendered over time.

Recommended Citation

Bell, Sarah Ann, "Changing Perceptions of Masculinity and Femininity in America?: Revisiting the Bem Sex-Role Inventory" (2022). Honors Theses and Capstones. 693.
https://scholars.unh.edu/honors/693