The relationship between sex roles and psychological availability

Abstract: Every culture emphasises roles and behaviours that are linked to expectations about men and women respectively and that cultures are influenced by socioeconomic factors such as status and/or education. Sex roles focus on the ways of socialisation that culminate in individuals displaying more masculine, feminine, and/or androgynous roles, while psychological availability can contribute to how well people engage at work. Individuals remain in their work roles because they engage in the designated work post. These employees become cognitively observant, physically involved in individual or team tasks, and empathetically connected to others during the performance of their tasks. The objectives of this study are to identify whether the masculine and feminine sex roles that men and women display have an impact on the level of psychological availability they display at work. Furthermore, this study will aim to determine how gender (man and woman) influences the relationship between sex roles and psychological availability. For the purpose of this study, a quantitative cross-sectional approach was selected. The convenience sample of 753 employees (n = 753) were from South African organisations in Gauteng. Participants completed The Biographical questionnaire, The Bem Sex Inventory and Psychological Availability questionnaire. The findings of this study revealed that masculine and feminine sex roles predict psychological availability. In addition, gender moderated the relationship between the feminine sex role and psychological availability. The relationship between femininity and psychological availability was stronger for women compared to men. However, gender did not impact the masculine sex role and psychological availability. Key Words: Masculinity, femininity, androgynous, gender, psychological availability.M.Com. (Industrial Psychology