Temporal variations in gender identity: an ecological momentary assessment of the influences of context

Gender identity is contextually dependent yet is often studied as a static trait. This study used ecological momentary assessment to examine daily variations in multiple dimensions of gender identity (gender salience, gender typicality, gender discontentedness, felt pressure to conform to gender stereotypes) and their associations with gender proportion and location.

Participants (N = 138; M_age = 19.31; 67 men) completed 4 to 5 reports a day on gender identity and social contexts for 7 days, resulting in 4,409 reports.

All gender identity components showed half as much within-person variance as between-person variance. When the other-gender proportion in the surrounding increased, participants scored higher in gender salience, and men felt more pressure to conform to gender stereotypes than women. When at home (versus other locations), participants scored lower in gender salience, gender typicality, and felt pressure, and men, in particular, reported higher gender discontentedness.

The findings support the social constructivist view that gender identity is dynamic. The findings are discussed in relation to developmental intergroup and distinctiveness theories and social role and reinforcement processes.