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Description and Evaluation of a Measurement Technique for Assessment of Performing Gender

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Abstract

The influence of masculinity and femininity on behaviors and outcomes has been extensively studied in social science research using various measurement strategies. In the present paper, we describe and evaluate a measurement technique that uses existing survey items to capture the extent to which an individual behaves similarly to their same-gender peers. We use data from the first four waves of The National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (Add Health), a nationally representative sample of adolescents (age 12–18) in the United States who were re-interviewed at ages 13–19, 18–26, and 24–32. We estimate split-half reliability and provide evidence that supports the validity of this measurement technique. We demonstrate that the resulting measure does not perform as a trait measure and is associated with involvement in violent fights, a pattern consistent with theory and empirical findings. This measurement technique represents a novel approach for gender researchers with the potential for expanding our current knowledge base.

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Acknowledgments

This research uses data from Add Health, a program project directed by Kathleen Mullan Harris and designed by J. Richard Udry, Peter S. Bearman, and Kathleen Mullan Harris at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and funded by grant P01-HD31921 from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, with cooperative funding from 23 other federal agencies and foundations. Special acknowledgment is due Ronald R. Rindfuss and Barbara Entwisle for assistance in the original design. Information on how to obtain the Add Health data files is available on the Add Health website (http://www.cpc.unc.edu/addhealth). We are grateful to the Carolina Population Center for training support (T32 HD007168) and for research support (R24 HD050924). Paul J. Fleming was supported by the UNC STD/HIV training grant (T32AI007001) and subsequently by a NIDA training grant (T32 DA023356).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Carolina Population Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA

    Paul J. Fleming, Kathleen Mullan Harris & Carolyn Tucker Halpern

  2. Department of Health Behavior & Health Education, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA

    Paul J. Fleming

  3. Department of Sociology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA

    Kathleen Mullan Harris

  4. Department of Maternal and Child Health, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA

    Carolyn Tucker Halpern

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  1. Paul J. Fleming
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Correspondence to Paul J. Fleming.

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Fleming, P.J., Harris, K.M. & Halpern, C.T. Description and Evaluation of a Measurement Technique for Assessment of Performing Gender. Sex Roles 76, 731–746 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11199-016-0657-3

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