The effect of sex and gender on self-esteem: introducing global gender salience
| Author(s) | VanArsdale, Brianna L. | |
| Date Accessioned | 2016-04-15T14:09:06Z | |
| Date Available | 2016-04-15T14:09:06Z | |
| Publication Date | 2015 | |
| Abstract | Despite the theoretical contributions to gender theory since the 1970s and the increasing public awareness of gender identity, a gap exists between contemporary gender theory and quantitative social science research methods. Quantitative researchers oftentimes conflate sex and gender when conceptualizing and operationalizing their variables. They usually measure sex (with only male/female options), but make claims about respondents’ masculinity and femininity. Some researchers try to combat sex/gender conflation by measuring gender identity (with options such as male/female, genderqueer, transgender, etc.), but they may also make assumptions about respondents’ masculinity and femininity in their analyses. Gender measurements such as Bem’s Sex Role Inventory and the Personality Attributes Questionnaire operationalize gender, but these measurements are arguably outdated and unpractical given their length. To address these theoretical and methodological issues in the literature, this paper introduces two gender scales—a 100-point masculinity and 100-point femininity scale—that will illustrate the importance of measuring gender independently and in addition to sex in quantitative research using the example of self-esteem. Survey results from 414 undergraduate and graduate students in a Northeastern university show differences in self-esteem outcomes when measuring for only sex and measuring for both masculinity and femininity by sex. | en_US |
| Advisor | Friedman, Asia M. | |
| Degree | M.A. | |
| Department | University of Delaware, Department of Sociology and Criminal Justice | |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.58088/keqg-k472 | |
| Unique Identifier | 946729160 | |
| URL | http://udspace.udel.edu/handle/19716/17641 | |
| Publisher | University of Delaware | en_US |
| URI | http://search.proquest.com/docview/1767373283?accountid=10457 | |
| dc.subject.lcsh | Self-esteem. | |
| dc.subject.lcsh | College students. | |
| dc.subject.lcsh | Masculinity. | |
| dc.subject.lcsh | Femininity. | |
| dc.subject.lcsh | Sex. | |
| dc.subject.lcsh | Gender identity. | |
| Title | The effect of sex and gender on self-esteem: introducing global gender salience | en_US |
| Type | Thesis | en_US |