Transgression and Gender

Human activity is determined to a great extent by not only biological sex but also gender. The aim of the study was to examine relationships between transgression and types of gender. A population of 558 individuals (399 women and 159 men) aged 19–25 (mean age: 22.6) were studied. The age of the women ranged from 19 to 24 (mean age: 22.4) and of the men—from 19 to 25 (mean age: 22.8). In order to examine the intensity of transgression, the Polish version of the chronic self-destructiveness scale was applied. The gender was studied by means of the Polish version of the Bem sex role inventory. Androgynous women achieved the highest and feminine men—the lowest scores on the transgression scale. In women, the masculinity scale positively correlated with the transgression scale, whereas the femininity scale did not significantly correlate with transgression, although the coefficient was negative. No statistically significant correlations were found in men (although the coefficients were positive). Biological sex and gender were qualitative variables that differentiated the intensity of transgression. Equilibrium between the psychological dimension of femininity and the psychological dimension of masculinity was vital for transgressive tendencies, particularly in women. Androgynous women showed rather the adaptive aspect of transgression.