Bem Sex-Role Inventory

The Bem Sex-Inventory Index (BSRI) is a self-reported 60-item survey to characterize a person as masculine, feminine, or "androgynous" as a function of the difference between their endorsement of masculine and feminine personality characteristics. The measure was developed and tested in the United states of America with respondents asked how well each of the 60 items describe him/herself. The BSRI has been adapated and validated in a number of different contexts including Japan, Russia and in the United States among African American women and Latino adolescents.

High Psychometric Score

Scoring Procedures

Masculinity is calculated by the mean self-rating for all endorsed masculine items, and Femininity equals the mean self-rating for all endorsed feminine items. The scores range from 1 (never or almost never true) to 7 (always or almost always true), and the Masculinity and Femininity scores are independent of each other.

The Androgyny score is calculated using the t-ratio, the significant difference between a person's masculine and feminine self-endorsement. The closer the Androgyny score is to zero, the more the person is androgynous.

Original Citation

Bem, S. (1974). The measurement of psychological androgyny. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 42(2), 155-162. https://doi.org/10.1037/h0036215