An Exploration of Antecedents and Attributes of Androgynous and Undifferentiated Sex Roles

This study sought to clarify the nature of androgynous (both masculine and feminine) and undifferentiated (neither masculine nor feminine) sex-role outcomes. One inquiry concerned the parent identification patterms most likely associated with androgyny and undifferentiation. ANother inquiry considered differences between the masculinity or femininity of androgynous adolescents and these sex-role behaviors as represented in masculine and feminine adolescents, respectively. Similarly, the sex-role differences for masculine, feminine, and undifferentiated adolescents were investigated. The white, middle-class Ss included 142 male and 193 female college students (average age under 19 years). Parent and S sex-role scores, as well as identification scores, were based upon adjective check list self-descriptions and parent descriptions obtained from the S's. Androgynous males most frequently identified with a nonstereotypic mother combining masculine and feminine qualities, whereas undifferentiated males more often identified with a stereotypically feminine mother (p less than .01). No differences in female identification emerged. Both sexes of androgynous Ss revealed masculine attributes similar to those of masculine Ss but lacked many of the femine qualities of feminine Ss. A blending of sex-role dispositions in androgyny was inferred.