The relationships between masculinity and femininity as measured by the Bem Sex Role Inventory (BSRI), achievement conflicts (fear of success and fear of failure), and a variety of attitudes in men and women were examined in three survey studies. Contrary to Bem's suggestion that femininity in women serves to dampen independent and assertive behaviors, femininity was found to be largely independent of issues in the achievement domain. Instead, increased masculinity was found to correlate with decreased achievement conflicts in women. Other sex differences in the correlations between the BSRI and other scales were examined. The data, particularly on feminist attitudes, suggest that the BSRI masculinity and femininity scales measure different things in men and women, thereby substantially undermining the validity of the BSRI as a measure of androgyny. Alternate approaches to operationalizing androgyny were considered. (Author)