Precarious womanhood: Maternal instinct’s role in gender-related anxiety

<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>

Name thesis:degree_name

Master of Science (MS)

Level thesis:degree_level

Open Access Thesis

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Psychology

Year dc:date.available

2020

Author dc:creator

• Kanipe, Chelsey

Contributors dc:contributor

• Stephen Jefferson, Ph.D., Chair
• Rusty McIntyre, Ph.D.
• Eamonn Arble, Ph.D.

• gender roles
• maternal instinct
• precarious manhood theory
• Psychology

Repository record dc:identifier

https://commons.emich.edu/theses/1052

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:commons.emich.edu:theses-2430