Examining the Gender Invariant-Assumption in Disorder Measurement: Assessing Whether Men Really Are from Mars and Women from Venus

• In Event: Do We See the Same Things? Methodological Issues in the Study of Social and Physical Disorder

Abstract

Much of the early work examining disorder made tacit assumptions about the measurement properties of disorder; specifically, assuming gender invariance in perceptions of disorder. A rather nascent body of research has begun to examine gender invariance, frequently finding women perceive more disorder than do men. This research is, however, limited by two factors: 1) the inability to account for complexities in the measurement of disorder, and 2) the inability to generalize results beyond the sample. This study tests the gender invariance assumption in the perception of disorder using data collected by the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office (Florida) in a community survey, employing item-response theory. The results call into question both the gender-invariance assumption and the conclusion that women are universally more perceptive of disorder than are men. The theoretical and methodological implications of the results are discussed.

Authors

• Josh Hinkle, Georgia State University

• Jon Maskaly, University of Texas at Dallas