Institutionalized Male Transvestism and Sex Distinctions

A report on a study designed to test a hypothesis on the relationship between instit'ized M transvestism & the importance of sex distinctions. The traditional position is that transvestism should be found not simply in association with a difficult M role but rather where the M role is well...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:American anthropologist 1969-02, Vol.71 (1), p.87-91
Main Authors: Munroe, Robert L., John W. M. Whiting, Hally, David J.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Anthropology
Brief Communications
Brothers
Ethnography
Gender roles
Institutionalize/ Institutionalized/ Institutionalization
Male/Males (see also Man)
Political anthropology
Reproduction
Sex linked differences
Sex/Sexes/Sexism/Sexist/Sexists
Terminology
Transvestism
Transvestite/Transvestites/ Transvestism
Womens studies
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Summary:A report on a study designed to test a hypothesis on the relationship between instit'ized M transvestism & the importance of sex distinctions. The traditional position is that transvestism should be found not simply in association with a difficult M role but rather where the M role is well diff'iated from the F role-otherwise the potential transvestite would have little to gain by switching roles. The hypothesis tested is: societies that maximize sex distinctions will not have instit'ized M transvestism; societies that make minimum use of sex as a discriminating factor in prescribing behavior & membership will have it. The hypothesis was tested by a study of 47 primitive societies which had or did not have instit'ized M transvestism. A scale of 7 items was used. It was found that the hypothesis was not proven, because the appearance of instit'ized transvestism tends to be confined to those societies that make relatively few distinctions on the basis of sex. I. Langnas.
ISSN:0002-7294
1548-1433
DOI:10.1525/aa.1969.71.1.02a00110