What it Means to be a Man: Gender Identity Salience and Content Among Liberal and Conservative Men

Gender is typically a central component for how individuals define themselves and has implications for other aspects of self-identity. However, gender salience has been shown to vary. The current studies sought to identify mechanisms underlying disparities in gender identity salience. In Study 1, we examined gender differences in gender identity salience as a function of political orientation among 214 men and 276 women. Results indicated that liberal-leaning men viewed their gender as less important to their self-concept that did their liberal-leaning women and marginally less than conservatively-oriented men. Study 2 reexamined gender identity salience among 500 men and probed other characteristics of their self-identity. Study 2 findings showed liberal oriented men had significantly weaker gender identity salience than did more conservative men. Liberal oriented men also defined masculinity in a more flexible way than did conservative-leaning men, who generally endorsed traditional masculinity. The current findings provide insight into how both the conceptualization of masculinity and the importance of gender identity vary among men with differing political orientations