Masculinity and Femininity in the Self with an Intimate Partner: Men are Not Always Men in the Company of Women

Abstract

Males and females from thirty intimate couples described their self in general, self with their partner, and their partner. With respect to masculinity and femininity, females' impressions of their male partners corresponded with males' perceptions of self-in-general, while males' impressions of their female partners corresponded more with females' perceptions of self-with-partner. Higher levels of femininity and lower levels of masculinity in the descriptions of self-with-partner were associated with more relationship satisfaction. Further, descriptions of self-with-partner reflected more feminine and less masculine attributes than descriptions of self-in-general. These findings suggest that people behave in a more feminine way toward their intimate partner than toward others, and that this is beneficial for an intimate relationship.