Sex typing and androgyny: Further explorations of the expressive domain

Previous research by S. L. Bem has indicated that androgynous individuals of both sexes display "masculine" independence when under pressure to conform as well as "feminine" nurturance when interacting with a kitten. In contrast, sex-typed individuals were low in one or both of these behaviors. The 2 studies reported here were designed to replicate the low nurturance of the masculine male and to clarify the unexpected finding that feminine females were low in both independence and nurturance. In the 1st study 84 undergraduates who had taken the Bem Sex Role Inventory interacted with a human infant, and in the 2nd study 84 new undergradutes listened to a lonely student. Taken together, study results conceptually replicate the low nurturance of the masculine male and demonstrate that the low nurturance of the feminine female does not extend to her interaction with humans. Finally, evidence is presented in support of J. T. Spence et al's (1975) distinction between "androgynous" individuals, who are high in both masculinity and femininity, and "undifferentiated" individuals, who are low in both of these characteristics. (22 ref)