The phenomenon of “precarious manhood” suggests that when a man perceives a threat to his masculinity, he will respond with anxiety and will subsequently increase his displays of traditional masculinity. The main purpose of this study is to address a parallel phenomenon in women (i.e., “precarious womanhood”), the existence of which previous authors have dismissed. Participants were randomly assigned to receive either high scores, low scores, or no scores following a supposed maternal instinct questionnaire. Then, their subsequent mood and gender identity endorsement were measured via self-report. It was hypothesized that, compared to participants who received either high or no scores, participants who received low scores (i.e., a femininity threat) would experience an increase in (a) their self-reported negative affect and (b) stereotypically feminine traits and behaviors. These hypotheses were not supported by the data. Exploratory analyses provide tentative support but require further study.
","abstract_html":"<p>The phenomenon of “precarious manhood” suggests that when a man perceives a threat to his masculinity, he will respond with anxiety and will subsequently increase his displays of traditional masculinity. The main purpose of this study is to address a parallel phenomenon in women (i.e., “precarious womanhood”), the existence of which previous authors have dismissed. Participants were randomly assigned to receive either high scores, low scores, or no scores following a supposed maternal instinct questionnaire. Then, their subsequent mood and gender identity endorsement were measured via self-report. It was hypothesized that, compared to participants who received either high or no scores, participants who received low scores (i.e., a femininity threat) would experience an increase in (a) their self-reported negative affect and (b) stereotypically feminine traits and behaviors. These hypotheses were not supported by the data. Exploratory analyses provide tentative support but require further study.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Kanipe, Chelsey"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Master of Science (MS)","degree_level":"Open Access Thesis","degree_discipline":"Psychology","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Stephen Jefferson, Ph.D., Chair","Rusty McIntyre, Ph.D.","Eamonn Arble, Ph.D."],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2020,"date_issued":"2020-01-01T08:00:00Z","date_published":"2020-01-01T08:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:17:40Z","subjects":["gender roles","maternal instinct","precarious manhood theory","Psychology"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://commons.emich.edu/theses/1052","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Stephen Jefferson, Ph.D., Chair","Rusty McIntyre, Ph.D.","Eamonn Arble, Ph.D."]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Kanipe, Chelsey"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2021-02-16T08:00:00Z"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Psychology"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Open Access Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Master of Science (MS)"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["gender roles","maternal instinct","precarious manhood theory","Psychology"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://commons.emich.edu/theses/1052"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["The phenomenon of “precarious manhood” suggests that when a man perceives a threat to his masculinity, he will respond with anxiety and will subsequently increase his displays of traditional masculinity. The main purpose of this study is to address a parallel phenomenon in women (i.e., “precarious womanhood”), the existence of which previous authors have dismissed. Participants were randomly assigned to receive either high scores, low scores, or no scores following a supposed maternal instinct questionnaire. Then, their subsequent mood and gender identity endorsement were measured via self-report. It was hypothesized that, compared to participants who received either high or no scores, participants who received low scores (i.e., a femininity threat) would experience an increase in (a) their self-reported negative affect and (b) stereotypically feminine traits and behaviors. These hypotheses were not supported by the data. Exploratory analyses provide tentative support but require further study.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Precarious womanhood: Maternal instinct’s role in gender-related anxiety"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Stephen Jefferson, Ph.D., Chair","Rusty McIntyre, Ph.D.","Eamonn Arble, Ph.D."],"dc:creator":["Kanipe, Chelsey"],"dc:date.available":["2021-02-16T08:00:00Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["The phenomenon of “precarious manhood” suggests that when a man perceives a threat to his masculinity, he will respond with anxiety and will subsequently increase his displays of traditional masculinity. The main purpose of this study is to address a parallel phenomenon in women (i.e., “precarious womanhood”), the existence of which previous authors have dismissed. Participants were randomly assigned to receive either high scores, low scores, or no scores following a supposed maternal instinct questionnaire. Then, their subsequent mood and gender identity endorsement were measured via self-report. It was hypothesized that, compared to participants who received either high or no scores, participants who received low scores (i.e., a femininity threat) would experience an increase in (a) their self-reported negative affect and (b) stereotypically feminine traits and behaviors. These hypotheses were not supported by the data. Exploratory analyses provide tentative support but require further study.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://commons.emich.edu/theses/1052"],"dc:subject":["gender roles","maternal instinct","precarious manhood theory","Psychology"],"dc:title":["Precarious womanhood: Maternal instinct’s role in gender-related anxiety"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Psychology"],"thesis:degree_level":["Open Access Thesis"],"thesis:degree_name":["Master of Science (MS)"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:17:40Z"}