Women’s Femininity and Acceptance of Men’s Gender-Nonconforming Behaviors

Jacqueline Gonzales

Co-Presenters: Individual Presentation

College: College of Liberal Arts

Major: BA.PSYCHOLOGY

Faculty Research Mentor: Shai Tabib

Abstract:

Reports examining the influence of femininity and masculinity on relationship satisfaction have suggested that women tend to be more satisfied with men who follow the traditional masculine role in relationships. However, less is known about women’s attitudes toward men who do not conform to traditionally masculine behaviors outside of their own romantic relationships. To address this gap, this study examined attitudes toward men’s gender-nonconforming behavior in relation to self-reported femininity among women. To achieve this aim, the present study utilized archival data from the Pew Research Center’s American Trends Panel Wave 154 survey, in which participants rated their femininity and acceptance of men’s gender-nonconforming behaviors. Analyses were conducted using only women’s responses. A Spearman correlation found a small negative association between these two variables (N = 3,204, ρ = −.14, p < .001). These results indicate that women who rated themselves as more feminine were slightly less accepting of men who performed stereotypically feminine behaviors. Response-quality limitations may have attenuated the observed relationship, warranting future research to use response-quality checks when examining this association.