A Study Comparing Comfort and Conformity of Gender Expression among Individuals of Different Genders across Generations

Abstract

Despite the tendency of contemporary culture to portray gender non-conforming individuals as a recent phenomenon, history shows that gender is dynamic, changing and capable of undermining social norms and their stigmatizing ways. Psychological gender affirmation is an internal sense of self-valuation, comfort with gender identity, and satisfaction of how one presents and how that presentation interacts with societal and cultural stereotypes about gender. Recent research by Smith et al. (2022) revealed a nuanced understanding of gender expression, emphasizing its dynamic nature across generations. Their study illuminated the evolving landscape of societal perceptions and expectations surrounding gender roles. These findings provide a valuable foundation for exploring the multi-faceted dimensions of gender expression in the present study. The study measures behavioural and affective components of comfort-discomfort with conformity-nonconformity in gender expression, analysing factors like discomfort with non-conformity, resentful conformity, active-physical comfort conformity, and comfort with gender conforming appearance. The study is conducted across two generations- Gen Y (born between 1981 and 1996) and Gen Z (born between 1997 and 2012) and makes a comparison of the nature of gender expression among males and females of Generation Y and male, female and genderfluid individuals of Generation Z. The sample population for this study comprises 60 individuals, evenly divided between Generation Y and Generation Z. Within the Gen Z group, there are 10 males, 10 females, and 10 individuals identifying as genderfluid whereas the Gen Y cohort consists of 15 males and 15 females. The subjects are of an age group ranging from 18 to 45 years of age. The Comfort and Conformity of Gender Expression Scale (CAGES) developed by Katherine Spencer (2007) has been used to conduct this study. Tests of mean difference will be carried out using SPSS- 20. The results of the study will be discussed in the full-length paper. The findings of this study hold practical implications for cultivating environments that honour individual comfort in gender expression. This insight is crucial for promoting psychological gender affirmation, and fostering a societal landscape where individuals of all genders feel empowered to authentically express themselves, transcending historical stereotypes and societal norms.