Gender Differences in Dream Content: Related to Biological Sex or Sex Role Orientation?

Abstract

Despite the large number of studies addressing gender differences in dream recall and dream content, research regarding whether these differences might be affected by sex role orientation is rather scarce. The present online-survey included a large sample of most recent dreams. The results clearly indicate that sex role orientation (femininity/expressivity and masculinity/instrumentality) affect the same dream characteristics that show marked gender differences (e.g., sexual dream content, physical aggression). Whereas the effect of sex role orientation on dream content support the continuity hypothesis of dreaming, the effect of biological sex on dream content does not exclude that other variables (such as, for example, the amount of sexual fantasies during waking) have an effect on dream content in addition to sex role orientation. Thus, future studies have to elicit more waking-life variables in order to model the varying daytime experiences of men and women in order to investigate whether these daytime differences sufficiently explain gender differences in dreaming or whether biological factors are also of importance.