Language matters

Gendered terms like “women” and “men” are used throughout this article. Gender is not a binary, and society heavily influences the expectations placed on folks of varying gender identities and expressions.

But our understanding of sex and gender has evolved. We understand gender is solely about how you identify yourself, independent of your physical body.

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Every society has certain gender roles, which dictate how people “should” behave, think, and feel. Gender roles vary between cultures, and are often shaped by a dominant religion.

In 1974, American psychologist Sandra L. Bem created a test to show if an individual has more masculine characteristics or feminine characteristics. This test is called the Bem Sex Role Inventory. Bem hoped to prove that people of either sex could score evenly, by having characteristics typical of both sexes. These scorers were called “androgynous.”

The Bem Sex Role Inventory didn’t score participants on a linear spectrum with masculine at one end and feminine at the other. Rather, masculine and feminine scores were calculated independently, with one often being dominant within an individual.

Nowadays, gender roles can seem limiting or even offensive. Ideas about how a person should behave or feel based on their gender aren’t generally helpful.

Keeping that in mind, it can still be an interesting tool of self-discovery to see your own division between Western masculine and feminine characteristics. After you see your score, you can ask yourself if the score feels authentic to you, or if perhaps you feel compelled to perform a certain way because of societal constructs.

This brief questionnaire is designed for anyone who might be wondering whether they behave, feel, and think in a more stereotypically masculine or feminine way.

This quiz is meant to help you answer questions like:

  • What are gender roles?
  • Do I act stereotypically like my gender?
  • Do I behave in an androgynous way?

This gender roles quiz is not meant to definitively tell you how you act, feel, or are perceived by others. This quiz is designed to help you understand to what degree you tend to display or diverge from stereotypical masculine and feminine traits.

This masculine vs. feminine quiz is based on American stereotypes of gender roles. Gender roles vary from culture to culture. This quiz will most accurately reflect your score as it relates to American gender roles.

What are the 3 gender role ideologies?

  • traditional ideology: tends to place men in work-related roles and women into family-related roles.
  • egalitarian ideology: assumes the position that attitudes, tasks, and behaviors should not be separated by gender.
  • transitional ideology: lies somewhere between traditional and egalitarian ideologies.

What are four examples of gender roles?

  • Personality traits: men are expected to be tough and aggressive, while women are expected to be emotional and compliant.
  • Domestic behaviors: men are expected to be the breadwinners, while women raise the children, cook, clean, and shop.
  • Occupations: men are expected to take leadership roles such as doctors, engineers, firefighters, and politicians. Women are expected to take more demure roles such as nurses, teachers, or assistants.
  • Physical appearance: men are expected to be tall and strong with short hair and without makeup. Women are expected to put a lot of effort into their appearance, be thin and graceful, and have long hair.

What is a common gender role we experience on a daily basis?

An example of a common gender role is that it’s generally acceptable for a woman to wear a dress, but not a man.