A study by Claire Gothreau of Lebanon Valley College and Amanda Friesen of the University of Western Ontario suggests that self-perceived masculinity and femininity can explain some political differences more clearly than male and female categories alone. Published in Politics and the Life Sciences, the research examines political participation, views on gun rights and the death penalty, and broader ideological attitudes.
The authors measured masculinity and femininity as separate, continuous traits. This approach allows respondents to describe themselves as highly masculine, highly feminine, both, or neither, regardless of their sex assigned at birth. The researchers argue that this captures differences within gender categories that a simple male-female classification can miss.
In the first analysis, the team examined 2022 survey responses from 1,017 U.S. adults. After accounting for demographic factors and party identification, categorical gender was not a statistically significant predictor of political participation when self-perceived masculinity and femininity were included. Higher scores on either scale were associated with greater participation, including activities such as signing petitions, protesting, and donating to campaigns. Possible differences linked to identifying outside traditional gender expectations were not statistically significant in this analysis.
A second analysis used 2020 survey data from 1,043 adults and found a similar relationship between gender identity measures and political participation. Associations with policy views differed by respondent gender and issue. Among men, higher masculinity was linked to stronger support for gun rights, while higher femininity was linked to lower support for the death penalty. Among women, higher masculinity was associated with lower support for the death penalty; links between gender identity and gun-rights views were more limited.
For a third analysis, the researchers surveyed 1,200 people in 2022 about Right-Wing Authoritarianism and Social Dominance Orientation. They found no strong relationship between self-perceived masculinity or femininity and Social Dominance Orientation. For authoritarian attitudes, higher masculinity was associated with higher scores among men and lower scores among women. Among men, higher femininity was associated with lower authoritarianism.
The authors stress that the findings are correlational and cannot show whether gender identity shapes political beliefs or political beliefs influence how people describe their gender. The measures also rely on self-reports, which may be affected by social desirability. They recommend further research, including studies that track people over time, to clarify how these identities and political preferences develop.
Sources: PsyPost.