Sandra Bem: Naming the Impact of Gendered Categories and Identities

Abstract

As revealed through the papers in the current issue, the impact of Sandra Bem’s interrogation and analysis of the process and impact of gender categorization is discussed. An important consequence of Bem’s work has been to bring invisible but pervasive processes of gender categorization into focus, and then to use that new visibility to drive social change. Themes that emerge in these papers building on Bem’s work include more nuanced approaches to identity, investigation of the role of immediate social context in the performance of gender, attention to gender development, and exploration of measurement issues. The papers raise a number of new questions for future research on gender categories and gendered identities. It is noted that the widespread use of the Bem Sex Role Inventory (BSRI) over more than 40 years provides a window on changing attitudes with respect to femininity, masculinity, and androgyny.