Sex Role and Parental Behaviors

Men and women with an androgynous, traditional, undifferentiated, or cross-sex orientation indicated (a) their comfort discussing their feelings with their parents; (b) their perception of their parents' comfort discussing intimate topics with them; (c) their parents' understanding of their problems and worries; (d) their perception of negativity in their relationship with their parents; and (e) the frequency of physical displays of affection. Of all the subject groups, the androgynous subjects felt most comfortable talking with their parents, felt that their parents understood their problems, and felt that their parents were most comfortable talking to them. Cross-sex and undifferentiated individuals reported the least positive relationships with their parents. Regression analyses were performed using the five previously mentioned categories as predictors of masculinity and femininity in men and women. The perception of negativity in the parent-child relationship was positively associated with masculinity in men and negatively associated with femininity in both men and women. The results of this study suggest that masculinity and femininity in men and women are determined by different factors.