Gender Identity Among U.S. Adults

Abstract

This chapter investigates how gender identity as a social identity fits into people’s lives and how social factors influence it, by drawing on identity theory and social identity theory. Empirical research on this question is surprisingly limited, despite widespread interest in gender identity in the social sciences and humanities. Using data from the 2014 Identity Module in the U.S. General Social Survey, we examine four dimensions of gender identity: importance, salience, pride, and verification. All four dimensions feature prominently in men’s and women’s lives. Gender identity is stronger for parents than for non-parents. In contrast, marriage/cohabitation and employment status are mostly unrelated to gender identity. Gender identity tends to be stronger among women, racial/ethnic minorities, and the less educated. We conclude that gender identity is an omnipresent reality in most people’s lives and that it contributes to maintaining gender as a set of categories that organize social relations.