Mapping gender - The multifactorial approach and the organization of gender-related attributes

Recent theoretical and empirical work on gender-related attributes suggests a multifactorial approach, with masculine and feminine characteristics composed of many different areas: instrumentality/expressiveness in personality, occupations and leisure interests, physical/material attributes, stylistic and symbolic behaviors, social relationships, feminist attitudes, and self-rated masculinity/femininity. This article tests the multifactorial approach by measuring variables in every area by questionnaire and videotape in a sample of undergraduates. Bivariate correlations and factor analysis reveal a robust factor linking occupations and leisure interests for both men and women. Women's gender-related attributes show little coherence outside this factor. Men display a "male dominance" factor connecting low expressiveness, sports interest, male friends, sitting with knees wide apart, and conservative attitudes toward feminism. The results support a multifactorial approach but also uphold a link for men between masculine attributes and more traditional attitudes toward gender roles.