FACTOR ANALYSES WERE PERFORMED UPON FOUR MASCULINITY-FEMINITY (MF) SCALES AND UPON THE 136-ITEMS COMPRISING THESE SCALES. RESULTS OF THE FIRST ANALYSIS ILLUSTRATED THE DIFFICULTY OF INTERPRETING FACTORS BASED ON HETEROGENEOUS SCALES. THE ITEM FACTORING REVEALED THE MULTIDIMENSIONALITY OF MF. CERTAIN ITEM FACTORS WERE UNCORRELATED WITH SEX STATUS…

Two measures of gender role conflict with acceptable test-retest and internal consistency reliabilities and the Personal Attributes Questionnaire were administered to 527 male college students. Initial results support previous speculation about gender-role conflict and may eventually provide a basis for empirical validation for the sex role strain…

In this study, androgynous and masculine individuals reported less fear of success than feminine or undifferentiated individuals, and fear of success was related more to absence of masculine traits than presence of feminine ones. Only certain components of masculinity were unrelated to fear of success. (CMG)

No significant differences were found between the Bem Sex-Role Inventory scores of library science students enrolled at a large university in the western United States and those of a normative group provided by the author of the inventory. (Author)

Studied perceptions about the perceived masculinity and femininity of kibbutz male adolescents of 79 Israeli adolescents, half of whom were urban and half of whom were raised on a kibbutz. Kibbutz targets were generally seen as more masculine. Exceptions and differences among urban and rural adolescents are discussed. (SLD)

A study of 12 emergency, 27 operating, 25 intensive care, and 22 psychiatric nurses in Canada demonstrated that, although gender roles appeared androgynous, the masculine component of nursing was more valued and rewarded. High masculinity was associated with higher pay, high femininity with low experience. Gender roles represented complex…

Introduces a special issue that is positioned against the backdrop of the current "boys in crisis" debate. It focuses on how the articles address embodied identities and material inequalities; social mobility and working class femininities; resisting individualism and rationality; power and responsibility; masculinity and the middle class; and…

Notes that an unusually large number of Chinese nursery rhymes provide realistic depictions of women's life experiences over the long history of China. Describes how they tell about women's fears and concerns as well as hopes and dreams and even sufferings. Divides those rhymes into three categories that represent three stages of a woman's life.…

Examined relationship between sex-role orientation and willingness to confront existential issues in undergraduate students (N=88). Results indicated masculine men and feminine women reported the least willingness to confront existential issues; androgynous men were most receptive to facing existential issues. (Author/ABL)

Analyzed clients' (N=210) questionnaires rating willingness to see and disclose to androgynous, masculine, or feminine therapist on basis of written description. Clients rated androgynous- and masculine-oriented therapists significantly more favorably than feminine-oriented therapists. Masculine men received highest ratings and feminine men…

Investigates the use of "bridging devices" in Lucretia Coffin Mott's "Discourse on Woman" (1849). Shows how Mott uses the Quaker concept of the "inner light" to balance the tension between her conservative cultural milieu and her radical goals. Argues that Mott's rhetoric is instructive for modern feminists who try to…

Explores the ideas of masculinity in children's books. Highlights include how the emotions and experiences of male characters might have been shaped by the authors' and their cultures' assumptions about what it means to be male; stereotypes, of femininity and masculinity; conventional male characteristics; and traditional masculine values. (LRW)

Investigated gender differences in the gender role perceptions of Japanese college students, who rated the desirability of items on a sex role inventory. Significant gender differences occurred only on the desirability ratings of feminine items for men (men scored higher than women). Both men and women perceived that masculine and feminine…

Surveyed male and female adults to test several hypotheses about the relationship between sex, gender, personality, and social support. Overall, gender, but not sex, significantly correlated with patterns of social support. Femininity in both sexes associated with seeking and receiving emotional support, and with seeking and receiving support from…