An adaptation of gradational gender scales in a Japanese sample: Nonresponse rates and response distributions for self-rated masculinity and femininity

Although scholars have long depicted gender as multidimensional, many surveys have historically captured gender coarsely. A recent methodological advancement has been gradational gender scales—unipolar scales that ask about self-rated femininity and masculinity. Nonetheless, these scales have yet to receive wider attention outside of the U.S. and Europe. Using data collected by the Social Science Japan Data Archive (SSJDA) in October 2023 and February 2024, we evaluate response patterns to gradational gender scales among Japanese respondents. We find high levels of nonresponse for these questions, and responses are less bimodally distributed and less extreme in value than in other country contexts. Respondents are particularly less likely to provide answers to scales that are “gender-atypical”—e.g., masculinity for women, and femininity for men. These findings reveal large differences in response patterns in a Japanese sample, indicating the need and promise for future research when administering gradational gender scales in different contexts.