Beliefs about Chastity, Machismo, and Caste Identity: A Cultural Psychology of Gender

Abstract

The study was conducted with a community sample (N=1118) of participants from three caste groups (Brahmins, Thevars, and Gounders) from villages that are reported to have an extremely male-biased sex ratio in Tamilnadu, India. Chastity, Machismo, and Caste Identity scales were used to assess cultural beliefs about gender and caste. The correlations among beliefs about caste identity, chastity, and machismo were significant for all three caste groups. There was a significant difference between Brahmins and the other caste groups in beliefs about caste, chastity, and machismo. There was a significant interaction among marital status and gender. Married men's scores on chastity and machismo were higher than unmarried men for all caste groups. Thevars and Gounders were high on machismo and chastity. Women in all caste groups, particularly Thevar women, were high on caste identity. The implications of the findings for the study of gender and immigration are discussed.Keywords Chastity . Caste . Gender and culture Gender psychologists have argued that culture influences the social construction of gender in complex ways. Although there are cultural variations in beliefs about gender, in most cultures typically such representations also control and regulate the sexual behavior and mores of women (Ortner, 1974). For instance, most cultures across the globe enforce a higher or a more stringent punishment for women's infidelity than for men's infidelity (Buss, 1998). Although the content of the prescriptive codes of behavior for women varies by culture, the social consequences of gender transgressions affect men's and women's lives differently in nearly all cultures. In this article, I examine the cultural ecological underpinnings of chastity and its association with masculinity and caste identity, as well as caste-specific variations in the construction of gender, among three different caste groups in Tamilnadu, India.The aims of the article are the following. First, I discuss the cultural psychological underpinnings of beliefs about chastity by providing a cultural psychological perspective on chastity. I developed a chastity scale and a caste identity scale to examine the relationships between chastity, masculinity, and caste identity among three caste groups. Second, I discuss the findings and their relevance to the goal of developing a cultural psychology of gender. Culture and ChastityThe Webster's New World Dictionary (1984) offered the following meanings of the term chastity: (a) not indulging in unlawful sexual activity; (b) virtuous; (c) sexually abstinent; (d) celibate; (e) pure, decent or modest in nature. The definitions highlight three major aspects of chastity: purity, self-control, and incorruptibility. All of these qualities define the "essential" qualities of a chaste person. Chastity has a biological and a psychological component. A chaste person is "pure" and incorruptible and can control his or her emotions. Although none of the definitions make explicit reference to women's sexual behavior, right below...

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