Masculinity and femininity in relation to body satisfaction in sexual minority women: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract

Introduction The current research entailed a systematic review and meta-analysis of past research exploring how body satisfaction relates to the personality attributes associated with masculinity (e.g., independent, competitive) and femininity (e.g., compassionate, aware of others’ feelings) in lesbian and bisexual women. Method A search of 30 different databases including PsycINFO produced 127 records, the screening of which yielded six studies meeting the eligibility requirements. Results For the meta-analysis examining the relationship between masculinity and body satisfaction, the weighted mean correlation coefficient was .33, which significantly differed from zero (p < .001). For the meta-analysis examining the relationship between femininity and body satisfaction, the weighted mean correlation coefficient was −0.05, which did not significantly differ from zero (p = .10). Subgroup analyses revealed that the correlation coefficients did not differ between samples of lesbian and bisexual women. Conclusion These results show that greater masculinity is moderately associated with greater body satisfaction in both lesbian and bisexual women, suggesting that masculinity in sexual minority women may serve as a protective factor against body image disturbances that lead to disordered restrictive eating behaviors.