The Measurement of Sexual Attraction and Gender Expression: Cognitive Interviews with Queer Women

Abstract

Previous research on the survey measurement of sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI) often focuses on the measurement of gender identity and sexual identity. Comparably little research exists that is focused on gender expression and sexual attraction, which are also each key features gender and sexuality. The current study seeks to contribute to this line of research, examining what underlies participants’ answers to survey questions on gender expression and sexual attraction. We conducted cognitive interviews with 16 self-identified queer women, expecting participants to show variability and nuance in considering dimensions of gender expression and sexual attraction. We asked best practice versions of survey questions on gender expression and sexual attraction, then followed up with probes to ask what respondents think about when answering each question. We demonstrate how grounded theory methods can be applied to cognitive interview data by developing codes of emergent themes from participants’ responses in an inductive, iterative, and systematic process. The results of this study indicate various considerations and refinements for measuring gender expression and sexual attraction in surveys, with implications for practitioners and researchers who are interested in measuring gender and sexual orientation holistically in survey research.