The Concept of Death—“Masculine” and “Feminine” Attributes

Abstract

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the concept of death by means of “masculine” and “feminine” characteristics attributed to it. One hundred forty-two female and male Jewish Israeli college students completed a sex role inventory and were requested to attribute the sex traits to their concept of death. Analysis of the results indicated that death is perceived more in “masculine” than in “feminine” terms, especially by the female respondents. No particular sex role type was especially attributed to death by the entire sample or by each gender separately. The possible implications of the findings for understanding the concept of death and its importance for clinical practice are discussed.