Citation

Storms MD, Stivers ML, Lambers SM, Hill CA. Sex Roles 1981; 7(7): 699-707.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1981, Holtzbrinck Springer Nature Publishing Group)

DOI

10.1007/BF00290038

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Male and female undergraduates were exposed to written and tape-recorded stimulus materials describing one of four target women: a feminine or masculine woman with heterosexual or homosexual feelings. Subsequent ratings of the woman's sex-role characteristics and sexual orientation indicated that information about either aspect of the woman's sexuality influenced subjects' perceptions of the other aspect. The woman who was described as masculine was also perceived as more homosexual, and vice versa. Additional measures indicated that the two women who did not fit this pattern -- the masculine/heterosexual and feminine/homosexual targets--were perceived as having confused, unstable sexual identities. The results are discussed in the context of two sexual scripts for women: one that associates sexual orientation and sex-role characteristics, and one that associates unconventional female sexuality with sexual identity confusion.