Students completed three sex-role instruments and two measures of self-esteem. In every case masculinity showed significant positive correlations with self-esteem in both sexes, whereas the correlations with femininity were generally nil or slightly negative. (Author)

Examines how masculinities were constructed in a Brazilian mother tongue fifth grade classroom, highlighting stories students told one another in this context. An ethnographic approach allowed naturally occurring stories to be audiotaped. Stories told in schools helped construct hegemonic masculinity by drawing on coherent systems available in…

In recent years there has been an international backlash against the status of girls as learners, with many people asserting that boys are suffering from new forms of educational disadvantage as girls achieve academically. This paper develops the notion of the space-between, a heuristic device to analyze and explain girls' experiences of…

Presents a narrative of one man's experiences as an early childhood worker. Offers reflections from feminist and pro-feminist critical perspectives on the reactions and incidents he encountered. Explores tensions between risks and rewards, perceptions of power and powerlessness, and personal and political contexts. The tensions highlight the…

Assessed the relative contribution of gender and gender role orientation to empathy and its development in 119 Israeli 8th and 11th graders. When the contribution of masculinity/femininity was covaried, empathy was found unrelated to gender. Findings are discussed in terms of socialization of emotions and gender role orientation. (SLD)

Qualitative research with 127 low-income young men and women, aged 14 to 30, in Rio de Janeiro found rigid gender roles with males displaying widespread "machista" attitudes (an exaggerated deep structure of masculinity) and acceptance of violence against women that was greater in low-income urban areas. Implications for working with…

Describes a study of undergraduates at Bolton Institute (England) that investigated biological sex, psychological masculinity and femininity, computer comfort, computer engagement, and computer over-use. Discusses the role of applications in determining sex differences, and explains findings that imply that some reduction of sex asymmetries in…

Presents findings about sex roles in 171 male and 180 female university students in Ireland who were examined by the Bem Sex Role Inventory, and discusses the validity of this test. The distribution of subjects on sex-role types showed a larger percentage of androgynous males and undifferentiated females in the Irish sample than in American…

Explored the link between development of bulimic eating behavior and suppression of masculine traits in adolescence. German high school students completed a sex role inventory. Among girls, higher risk of developing bulimia appeared to be caused by increasing discrepancies between actual and ideal self-concept on masculine-typed personality…

Children of 4 to 10 years of age were told about children whose sex was not specified and who had a masculine or feminine toy or characteristic. Results indicated that children first learn characteristics relevant to their own sex, and that older children's stereotypic judgments about gender are more extreme than those of younger children. (BC)

Examines the relationship between sex role orientation and self-esteem in a study of Chinese high school students. Includes the following self-esteem domains: (1) academic; (2) appearance; (3) physical ability; (4) social; and (5) general. Results generally support the masculinity model. (JS)

Sets the current public debate about gender and schooling in England into a historical and a United Kingdom-wide context, addressing the highly politicized context in which educational research on gender has taken place over the past 20 years, discussing the feminization of teaching, and examining attacks on English schools for failing boys as a…

Over the past decade, gradual changes have occurred in some aspects of the social roles taken by men and women. More women with children work outside the home and some men have become very involved in caring for their children. Whether or not such changes have influenced the thinking of members of traditional families and influence parent/child…

The interrelationship between masculinity and schooling is explored for 10 gay males aged 16 to 19 years. Focal issues are the following: (1) sex education; (2) essentialism-constructionism; (3) sexual stereotyping; (4) sexual and gender systems; and (5) homosexuality. These perspectives recognize sexual/gender systems as a school organizing…

This study examined relations between mothers' and fathers' behavior and characteristics, and individual differences in masculine and feminine activities and interests of their early school-aged children. Subjects were 57 intact families with an eldest child aged 6 to 7 years for a total of 29 boys and 28 girls. Data collection involved four…