From Adolescence to Later Adulthood: Femininity, Masculinity, and Androgyny in Six Age Groups

We drew from developmental theory regarding the timing of historical events in individuals’ lives to examine age-related differences in self-reported masculine, feminine, and androgynous personality traits in a cross-sectional sample of American men (N?=?357) and women (N?=?404) representing six age groups (adolescents [12–17 years], younger [18–29 years], middle-aged [40–59], young-old [60–69], old-old [70–79], and oldest-old [80 and older] adults). Oldest-old women were less likely than younger and middle-aged women to endorse masculine and androgynous traits. Men in their 70s (old-old) were more likely than adolescents and younger men to endorse androgynous traits. Discussion of the results emphasizes the implications of the second wave of the women’s movement for understanding life-span gender development.