What Does It Mean to Be Feminine in America Today?

            The liberty principle for this Freedom Friday is that the happiest and strongest women self-identify as feminine. March is Women’s History Month and also the month when Ketanji Brown Jackson could not define woman. We live in a world where many women are trying to be like men and avoiding the traditional feminine role. However, a recent study shows that identifying as feminine brings happiness and positive outcomes into a woman’s life.

            In an article written by Jenet Erickson, James L. McQuivey, and Brad Wilcox, the authors discussed the data collected by one of them in the U.S. Adult Sexual Behaviors and Attitudes survey. This is how they described their analysis. 

While the survey did not define femininity, a clear majority of 814 women surveyed in March 2021 identified as “very feminine” on a 5-point scale, with 61% selecting 4 or 5 on the scale. This lags only slightly behind men who are more likely to score themselves as very or somewhat masculine. Both men and women are equally likely to be content with their level of masculinity or femininity — 80% of men and 77% of women agree that they are “happy with how masculine or feminine they are.”

Lest we be disappointed that these self-described feminine women are missing their chance to lean into a more gender-fluid life, an analysis of the data suggests that the degree of femininity correlates with seemingly positive outcomes of women’s lives.

Financial situation, personal health, general happiness and life satisfaction were all markedly better among those who express the highest levels of femininity. The only exception is in their experience of college.

But the findings weren’t just about women and their well-being alone. In the study, the women who described themselves as “feminine” were the most likely to marry and to say they have fulfilling marriages across various dimensions, including strong personal relationships and community involvement. High-femininity females were also, according to the study, more likely to describe themselves as able to take risks, manage uncertainty and self-regulate, which may help to explain lower rates of depression compared to other women.

Moreover, the self-described “very feminine” women in the study agreed at a much higher rate than other women that they “have a strong personality” and like to solve problems and take charge.

The nationally representative study of adults ranging in age from 18 to 74 has a margin of error of plus or minus 3%.

            The cited survey shows that the majority of women like being women and living lives of happiness and accomplishment. These results show that women do not have to become like men and that they can excel and find happiness as women. In other words, women are free to be women.