Abstract
This study explored the response of peers and teachers to children who differed in the extent to which their self-concepts included traits which children view as masculine or feminine. It was hypothesized that teachers would judge relatively more masculine children to be inferior in (1) academic ability and (2) social adjustment compared to more feminine children, and that these relationships would be independent of IQ. Relationships between masculine—feminine self-concept and observable classroom behaviors were examined, particularly the impact of classroom behavior on teachers' evaluations of masucline versus feminine children. Finally, the relationship between masculine—feminine self-concept and popularity was studied. Subjects were 64 middle-class fourth and fifth graders. For boys, the hypotheses were supported for evaluations made by seven women teachers. Evaluations made by one man teacher did not support the hypotheses. Neither hypothesis was supported for girls. Among boys, relative masculinity was associated with a distinctive pattern of classroom behavior, and this statistically accounted for women teachers' negative evaluations of the more masculine boys. For boys, the relationship between popularity and masculine—feminine self-concept differed significantly between classroom settings; while for girls there were no significant relationships. Methodological issues, sex differences in the importance of sex-typing of self-concept, teacher sex differences, and implications for mental health are discussed.
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The author acknowledges the invaluable assistance of the following persons: Kevin McClearey assisted in the initial development of the observation procedure; Jessica Broitman and Dennis Quintana conducted the observations; Dennis Quintana assisted in developing the items for the masculine—feminine self-concept questionnaire; Ms. Judy Hermann, Principal, offered cooperation in the school setting; Drs. William Hodges and Donald Weatherley offered criticisms of an earlier version of this paper. An earlier, condensed version of this paper was presented at the meeting of the Western Psychological Association, Los Angeles, 1976.
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Silvern, L.E. Masculinity—Femininity in children's self-concepts: The relationship to teachers' judgments of social adjustment and academic ability, classroom behaviors, and popularity. Sex Roles 4, 929–949 (1978). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00287712
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00287712