Androgyny: Are You More Masculine or Feminine?
Have you ever asked yourself whether you're more masculine or feminine? Do you feel androgynous?
The term androgyny is derived from old Greek, where andros meant a man and gyne a woman. (PhotoXpress)
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The term androgyny is derived from old Greek – andros meaning a man and gyne meaning a woman. The word denotes a combination of masculine and feminine characteristics in a person.
Most research on androgyny was based on traditional gender roles and assumptions regarding men’s and women’s traits, as well as the supposition that a person is more masculine if he or she has less feminine characteristics, and vice versa. Unfortunately, human beings are not that simple and can't be made to fit such superficial formulas. Many members of the „stronger sex“ can show numerous (traditionally) feminine interests and skills, although they still appear to be masculine in other aspects. The same applies to females, of course.
Psychologist Sandra Bem carried out extensive research on the characterisation of androgenic people. The result of her work is an interesting test, called Bem Sex Role Inventory, or BSRI, which measures the degree of personality androgyny. The test includes 20 typically masculine personality traits such as: “aggressive”, “ambitious”, “ ready to take risks” etc., and 20 typically feminine characteristics: “expressing emotions”, “submissive”, “loving children” etc., and finally also 20 neutral traits, such as: “happy.”
Every participant of Bem's study did both tests that also included the „neutral“ questions. A test score was deemed to indicate „masculinity“ when the average pointed to typically masculine traits, and when the average pointed to feminine traits, the score was interpreted as indicating „femininity.“ According to the study, one third of the people surveyed were androgynous.
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