The BEM sex-role inventory
Many of the studies that study gender take sex-role into account, and measure a subject's "masculinity" or "femininity" using a psychological tool called the "Bem Sex Role Inventory." (BSRI) The inventory was created by Sandra Ruth Lipsitz Bem (currently at Cornell) in 1976. Generally, it is a set of up to 60 personality characteristics which subjects rate on a 7-point Likert scale ranging from "never" to "always", with some characteristics defined as "masculine" (e.g. independent, athletic, forceful, analytical) and others as "feminine" (e.g. cheerful, shy, flatterable, soft-spoken) -- subjects generate a masculinity and a femininity score. Much of the test was created and validated using an American collegiate population.
However, the test has not been updated since 1981. Holt and Ellis (1998) suggest that changing gender perceptions in culture may be weakening the test's validity. Choi and Fuqua (2003) summarized results from 23 factor analyses of the BSRI, and found that differences in the factor analysis emerged when using different populations, as well as finding more complexity in the factors defined as masculine versus those defined as feminine. Konrad and Harris (2002) found that European American women in the urban Northeast rated only 10% of the presented items as differentially preferable for men and women, compared to European American men in the urban Northeast and African American men in the South, who gave the most "traditional ratings."
If you're curious about how you would score on the BSRI, a dumbed-down version is available at OKCupid (Bem Sex Inventory Test). I scored "Undifferentiated" with 43 masculine and 43 feminine (and a picture of Richard Simmons). I recognize that I have a strong, traditionally masculine bias in my preference for personality traits (e.g. analytical > compassionate) so it's difficult for me to give objective feedback about this measure. One of the greatest complaints about this test is that it is confounded by "social desirability" -- people may feel compelled to give answers that feel appropriate, rather than accurate.
However, the test has not been updated since 1981. Holt and Ellis (1998) suggest that changing gender perceptions in culture may be weakening the test's validity. Choi and Fuqua (2003) summarized results from 23 factor analyses of the BSRI, and found that differences in the factor analysis emerged when using different populations, as well as finding more complexity in the factors defined as masculine versus those defined as feminine. Konrad and Harris (2002) found that European American women in the urban Northeast rated only 10% of the presented items as differentially preferable for men and women, compared to European American men in the urban Northeast and African American men in the South, who gave the most "traditional ratings."
If you're curious about how you would score on the BSRI, a dumbed-down version is available at OKCupid (Bem Sex Inventory Test). I scored "Undifferentiated" with 43 masculine and 43 feminine (and a picture of Richard Simmons). I recognize that I have a strong, traditionally masculine bias in my preference for personality traits (e.g. analytical > compassionate) so it's difficult for me to give objective feedback about this measure. One of the greatest complaints about this test is that it is confounded by "social desirability" -- people may feel compelled to give answers that feel appropriate, rather than accurate.