Measuring Children's Gender: the androgyny Perspective.
Oleshansky, Barbara Arlene
1981
Abstract
Traditional tests of gender assumed that masculinity (M) and femininity (F) were sex-linked opposites best described by a single M-F score. Recently published androgyny tests, however, permit adults of both sexes to endorse both masculine and feminine traits and to achieve separate M and F scores. Their results indicated that M and F were separate, socially desirable components present in both sexes, though in different degrees. When median splits on these M and F scores were used jointly to create a four-way classification scheme, other variables such as self-esteem were found to vary significantly among the four cells (androgynous, Masculine, Feminine and Undifferentiated). Investigating children's gender using androgyny tests is just beginning. Their newness and the addition of negative M and F subscales called for psychometric analyses and collection of normative data. These were addressed in the current study in which 159 fifth grade children each completed a questionnaire comprised of three gender scales: (1)Spence and Helmreich's EPAQ-I androgyny test measure of psychological gender; (2)a measure of preferences for gender role activities (APS) and (3)a measure of gender identifications and attitudes (PGS). Background information was obtained from students and their parents. All questionnaire scales were reliable and modestly internally consistent. Significantly sex different mean scores in the expected directions were obtained on the M and F subscales of all three scales, with the exception of the EPAQ-I negative Feminine subscales, which were therefore eliminated from further consideration. Even on other subscales, though, many individual items did not produce significant sex different responses, indicating the need to reconsider the inclusion of certain items. In particular, femininity did appear to be very well measured on the EPAQ-I. Extensive psychometric development of the scales appeared necessary and the following conclusions based on those scales must be considered tentative and in some cases, speculative. Within each sex, EPAQ-I positive M and F scores had low correlations, replicating and extending to children prior research and supporting a major tenet of androgyny research, i.e., that socially desirable M and F are best conceptualized as a dualism. When these scores were used to create four psychological gender groups, the largest percentage of boys in this sample was classified Masculine while the largest percentage of girls was classified Undifferentiated. However, when gender role preference scores were used to create four cells, the majority of boys and of girls were classified into the category traditionally associated with their sex. Few significant relationships were uncovered between these categories and other variables. Further, few significant relationships were found among the EPAQ-I, APS and PGS scores. The few that were observed most often involved only girls' scores. In combination, these results led to the conclusions that, based on the methods and measured used, these fifth grade boys were more traditionally gender-typed in an adult-like fashion than were the girls and that psychological gender, gender role preferences and gender identifications appeared to be separate components of children's gender. It was recommended that children's gender should be measured using instruments created expressly for children. When the study as a whole was considered, neither the traditional nor the androgyny perspective seemed to fully explain all of the results. There did not appear to be a simple, single, "right" way to conceptualize or to measure children's gender. Rather, increasingly complex definitions and tests are necessary to measure and to understand masculinity, femininity, androgyny and other possible patterns of children's gender.Types
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