Sex Role Orientation, Self-Disclosure, and Gender-Related Perceptions

The level of self-disclosure and the sex-role orientation of 104 males and 91 females was determined in order to assess the impact of these characteristics on interpersonal judgments of gender-related behavior. The subject's own level of disclosure was found to have an impact on perceptions of males and females represented to be moderately high and moderately low in disclosure. Those more similar were viewed to be better adjusted, more likable, and preferred partners in an experiment. There was a failure to find differential standards in the evaluation of male and female disclosure, and a subject's sex role orientation (androgynous or sex role stereotyped) had no effect on perceptions. Gender, however, did have an impact on judgments made and interacted with the gender of the individual perceived. Male subjects rated male and female individuals differentially, whereas female subjects did not.