Masculinity and femininity as factors in feminism

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Sociology
• Gender Studies

Background:

• Understanding the relationship between feminism and sex roles is crucial for gender studies.
• Previous research has explored various psychological and sociological aspects of feminist identity.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the correlation between specific sex-role typologies and profeminist attitudes in women.
• To examine how different measures of feminism (Attitude Toward Women Scale and Women's Liberation Scale) impact study outcomes.
• To analyze the representation of different sex-role types within feminist organizations like the National Organization for Women (NOW).

Main Methods:

• Two studies were conducted using female college students and participants in the National Organization for Women (NOW).
• Sex-role typologies were assessed using Baucom's Masculinity, Femininity, and Androgyny (MSC) and Femininity (FMN) scales, and Bem's Sex-Role Inventory.
• Feminist attitudes were measured using the Attitude Toward Women Scale (AWS) and the Women's Liberation Scale (WLS).

Main Results:

• The study found that women scoring high on both masculinity and femininity, and those high on masculinity and low on femininity, exhibited more profeminist attitudes when measured by the AWS.
• These hypotheses were not consistently supported when using the WLS.
• In the second study, women high in masculinity and low in femininity were well-represented in NOW, but women high in both masculinity and femininity were underrepresented.

Conclusions:

• The measurement tool used to assess feminism significantly influences the observed relationship between sex roles and profeminist attitudes.
• Androgynous women (high masculinity and femininity) may express feminist beliefs differently than those with a more traditional masculine sex role.
• Further research is needed to reconcile findings across different feminist measurement scales and organizational affiliations.