Gender-role traits (BSRI)

Which of the classic trait clusters describes you, whatever your gender — the 'instrumental' (assertive, independent), the 'expressive' (warm, attuned), both at once, or neither.

The Bem Sex Role Inventory (Sandra Bem, 1974) rates 'instrumental' traits (assertive, independent, decisive) and 'expressive' traits (warm, compassionate, gentle) as two independent scales; the familiar four-way classification — masculine-typed, feminine-typed, androgynous, undifferentiated — followed in Spence, Helmreich & Stapp (1975) and Bem (1977). One of the most-used instruments in the psychology of gender; Bem's own thesis was that androgyny is common and adaptive. Honest caveats: the trait lists reflect what 1970s American samples rated as desirable 'for a man' or 'for a woman', average scores have shifted across the decades since, and many researchers now read the two scales simply as instrumentality and expressiveness. A self-description of where you sit, not a test. (Bem Sex Role Inventory (Bem, 1974))

Groups

Masculine-typed (instrumental) — The instrumental cluster leads — independent, assertive, decisive — whatever your gender.
Feminine-typed (expressive) — The expressive cluster leads — warm, compassionate, attuned to others — whatever your gender.
Androgynous — High on both clusters — as comfortable being assertive as being tender, depending on what the moment asks.
Undifferentiated — Neither cluster stands out — in Bem's scheme that simply means these two trait lists aren't what define you.

Gender-role traits (BSRI)

Groups

References

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