Read a way of expressing yourself in context
Explore direct, self-directed and relational ways of communicating without assigning a sex or gender identity.
The two ends summarize agreement with this original set of expression statements. They are not the proportions of men or women who resemble you.
What this axis describes
- This axis gathers how you describe expressing a position, making a decision and responding to another person. Its direct end emphasizes agency and firmness; its relational end emphasizes warmth and attention to a shared atmosphere. Both are available to anyone, and the same conversation can call for both.
- The gendered context concerns cultural labels sometimes attached to these behaviors. WHO distinguishes social gender norms from biological sex and gender identity. Here no comparison sample of men or women is used: the number comes only from your answers to fifteen original statements.
A relational emphasis
- A lower position is a lower sum after reverse scoring; it can reflect weaker agreement with direct and self-directed wording, stronger agreement with relational wording, or both. In a hypothetical group discussion, you might first ask what has made someone hesitant. That question can open a useful exchange, but this result cannot tell whether your actual listening is effective.
- The practical question is whether care and your own needs both remain visible. Imagine agreeing to help with an ordinary errand: naming the amount of time you can give makes the arrangement clearer. A warm response can still contain a firm boundary; no score requires continual accommodation.
A direct emphasis
- A higher position is a higher sum after reverse scoring; it can reflect stronger agreement with direct and self-directed wording, weaker agreement with relational wording, or both. For a hypothetical shared deadline, you might state which decision is needed and propose a next step. The useful evidence is whether others understand that proposal, rather than whether it fits a gender label.
- A clear position can leave room for questions. You could name a preference and then ask which constraint you have missed. If the exchange becomes tense, look at the actual wording, time pressure and relationship. This axis does not establish that you are dominant, insensitive or naturally suited to lead.
Mixed answers and changing settings
- A middle position can arise from choosing the middle response repeatedly or from endorsing statements on both sides. Those patterns are different, even if their totals match. Someone may be direct in a practical negotiation and highly attentive to feelings when a friend needs time to speak.
- Use a specific recent scene before turning the bar into a description of your whole life. Role expectations, familiarity and available time can change which behavior feels natural. Retaking the quiz may change the number without proving that your identity or underlying personality has changed.
Try one small comparison
- For an optional exercise, draft two ways to request a small change. One can lead with the concrete request; the other can begin by acknowledging the shared situation. Compare whether each version communicates the same boundary. You do not have to send either version or choose one style permanently.
- If you discuss the exercise with someone, ask about the wording rather than asking them to judge your masculinity or femininity. Their response describes this particular exchange. Keeping both approaches available can be more informative than trying to make a score move toward a preferred end.
How far the reading can go
- The percentage is a response-range position under FermatMind’s disclosed recipe. It is not a population percentile, a probability of a gender identity, or a measure of emotional intelligence. The item bank, equal weights and two-ended display have not been psychometrically validated.
- Use the reading as optional language for reflection. It does not support hiring decisions, judgments about capability, or expectations imposed on a partner or child. Your own identity and another person’s stated preferences take precedence over a short questionnaire’s labels.