Expressiveness, gender, and liking for musical instruments

Abstract

This study examined the relationship between gender, training, identification with gender-related traits on the Bem Sex Role Inventory, and ratings of liking for musical instruments among 208 young adults. Gender differences in liking were found to be similar to those found in studies of children’s preferences for learning instruments. Participants with formal training gave higher ratings of liking than untrained participants to a number of instruments, but level of training did not interact with gender. The underlying structures of men’s and women’s preferences contained major dimensions relating to stronger, masculine instruments and lighter, feminine ones, providing evidence for the internalisation of the gendered associations found by research in this area. A predicted relationship between identification with feminine or masculine traits and liking for associated instruments was not found. Instead, with gender and formal training controlled, identification with feminine, expressive traits was associated with musical preferences for the majority of instruments, and this may be one reason why girls have greater interest in traditional music in educational contexts.