Self Perceptions and Social Misconceptions: The Implications of Gender Traits for Locus of Control and Life Satisfaction

Are individuals who self-attribute both gender typical and gender atypical traits more satisfied with their lives than those who self-attribute only gender typical traits? It was assumed that men and women who self-attribute instrumental (‘masculine’) as well as expressive (‘feminine’) traits benefit both because they attain more control over their lives and also because a sense of control increases life satisfaction. Analyses of data from a representative Israeli (Jewish) sample of over 500 respondents show that men do indeed benefit from self-attribution of both instrumental and expressive traits, which increase their sense of control as well as their life satisfaction. Women, on the other hand, benefit only from the self-attribution of atypical (‘masculine’) traits, as their sense of control and their life satisfaction depend on instrumental traits, not on expressive ones. Thus, although the levels of control and life satisfaction that men and women report are similar, the process by which they reach these levels is different and gender-specific.