How science shapes gender views

New Research Published in QJE! 🎉 Thrilled to share our latest paper, published this week in the Quarterly Journal of Economics (with my amazing co-authors Christine Exley, Molly Moore and John-Henry Pezzuto). 📊 Across 15 studies with nearly 9,000 participants, we found that people systematically believe women are more generous, equality-oriented, and cooperative than men. Yet, the data shows that men and women’s behaviors in relation to trust, cooperation, and fairness across a variety of economic activities are far more similar than these stereotypes suggest. Participants predicted how men and women would behave in various economic games. In the Dictator Game, they estimated that women would be more generous when splitting money. In the Ultimatum Game, they anticipated women would be fairer. In the Public Goods Game, they expected women to cooperate more to a shared pot. Across 28 contexts, women were consistently expected to choose "socially-oriented" outcomes 8–13% more often than men—but these differences rarely exist. We then find similar results across a variety of other settings, vignettes and domains, plus additional experiments that hint at the role of upbringing in shaping these beliefs about gender differences. Why does this matter? These stereotypes can limit leadership opportunities, reinforce traditional family roles, and skew support for policies like equal pay and parental leave—perpetuating inequalities. 💡 Let’s challenge these beliefs and create environments where everyone can thrive. 🔗 Link to the paper in comments! #Research #Leadership #HR  #Stereotypes #GenderEquality

Early Gender Stereotypes May Shape the Future of STEM Participation New research (linked below) reveals that children as young as five begin to develop biased views about men’s and women’s abilities in STEM fields. Boys often rate men as more competent in STEM, while both boys and girls see girls as less capable of learning STEM subjects. These early stereotypes could contribute to the gender gap in STEM careers, underscoring the need for educators and caregivers to address these biases early on. https://lnkd.in/dDRTRuj4

The Problem with "Equality": Why Inclusivity Means Treating People Differently When we talk about inclusivity, we often assume that treating everyone the same is fair. But true inclusivity is about recognizing differences and adapting accordingly. As a part of CBCS (https://lnkd.in/ga9teY-t) at Tata Institute of Social Sciences, we have a course on "Queer Affirmative Mental Health Interventions." It made me think about what the de facto norm is and the realities we've built around them. We were asked to write: What is Sex, Gender, and Sexuality? I wrote, "Sex is about biology, gender is about identity, and sexuality is about who you are attracted to." Gayle Rubin's concept of the "Charmed Circle" illustrates how society classifies certain sexual behaviors as "good" or "normal" (e.g., heterosexual, married) and others as "bad" or "abnormal" (e.g., homosexual, promiscuous). This framework highlights the societal biases that privilege certain expressions of sexuality over others. Thomas Laqueur's Book on "Making of Sex" explores the historical construction of sex and gender, revealing that our current understandings are deeply rooted in social constructs rather than purely biological facts. Laqueur argues that the distinctions between male and female have been shaped by cultural narratives, challenging the notion of fixed, binary categories. Traditionally, society operates on a 2:2:1 model: ✔️ Two sexes → Two genders → One sexuality. However, this framework is far from reality. Gender is a social construct, not merely a biological fact. While early theories pushed the idea that people are “born this way” and that other species exist only in binary forms, research has debunked both: 1️⃣ Chromosomal Variations: Beyond the typical XX and XY configurations, variations like XXY (Klinefelter syndrome) exist, demonstrating that biological sex is not strictly binary. 2️⃣ Gender Diversity in Nature: Numerous species exhibit behaviors and characteristics that don't fit into binary classifications, indicating that diversity in sex and gender is a natural phenomenon. Instead of confining individuals to predefined categories, we should focus on liberation, not labels. Read more here: https://lnkd.in/g56PP49V A significant challenge is biological essentialism, the belief that one's biology dictates specific behaviors and roles. The belief that if you are born a certain way, you must act, dress, or behave accordingly. The way forward? Recognizing differences, self-determination, and prioritizing mental health in queer-affirmative practices. Because real inclusivity means breaking free from the boxes society has built. #TISS #HRMLR #HR #Inclusivity #QueerAffirmation #MentalHealth #GenderIdentity

GENDER PERSPECTIVES IN RESEARCH Gender perspectives in research involve integrating an understanding of gender differences and inequalities throughout the research process. This approach ensures that both women’s and men’s experiences, needs, and challenges are considered. It enhances research quality, relevance, and equity by addressing power dynamics, access to resources, and social roles. Incorporating gender starts with framing inclusive research questions, using gender-sensitive methodologies, ensuring balanced participant selection, and analyzing data with attention to gender and intersecting factors such as age or socioeconomic status. It also involves sharing findings in ways that are accessible and beneficial to all genders. Gender perspectives are crucial across sectors like health, education, agriculture, and STEM, helping to uncover hidden disparities and inform more inclusive policies and programs. Therefore, applying a gender lens strengthens research outcomes and contributes to social justice by promoting equity and inclusion in both the process and impact of research. Gender, Work & Organization, UoN Anthropology and Gender Students Association, Gender Unit | Ministry of Planning Development and Special Initiatives, UN Women, SEX AND GENDER WOMENS HEALTH COLLABORATIVE, FEMNET - African Women's Development and Communication Network, Institute for Faith and Gender Empowerment (IFAGE), Gender Equity Policy Institute (GEPI), Consortium on Gender, Security and Human Rights, HBS Race, Gender & Equity Initiative

For 60 Years, Kids’ TV Cast Boys As ‘Doers’ And Girls As Passive, Study Suggests: “New research reveals that the language in children’s television is reinforcing harmful gender stereotypes, and that little has improved in 60 years. In some cases, the gender bias is getting worse over time. The study, published this week in Psychological Science, examined scripts from 98 children’s television programs in the U.S. spanning from 1960 to 2018. The researchers employed natural language processing tools to examine which words were more likely to be associated with male characters and which were more likely to be associated with female characters. In total, they analyzed 6,600 episodes, 2.7 million sentences and 16 million words. Among the shows studied were classics like The Flintstones (1960) and more modern series like The Powerpuff Girls (2016) and Lost in Space (2018). In particular, the researchers examined how often male and female characters were portrayed as active agents (those who do) versus passive recipients (those who are done to). They found that boys are ‘doers’ while girls are the ‘done-tos.’ Perhaps most shockingly, when the researchers examined how this language has changed over time, they found that it hadn’t. The gender gap in who takes action in these programs hasn’t improved in six decades. Given the amount of time children spend watching television, the study authors suggest that those who watch these programs will develop biased ideas about how women and men behave in the real world. ‘These biases aren’t just about who gets more lines; they’re about who gets to act, lead, and shape the story. Over time, such patterns can quietly teach children that agency belongs more naturally to boys than to girls, even when no one intends that message,’ professor of psychology at NYU and an author on the paper Andrei Cimpian explained in a press release. AI learning models that train on program scripts pose an additional threat of perpetuating the gender bias. The study authors explain in their paper, “The rising popularity of script-writing programs powered by artificial intelligence (AI), which are trained on language from pre-existing screenplays, adds urgency to the goal of uncovering social biases in the language in children’s media.’ As technology continues to evolve, it becomes increasingly important to understand the messages we’re sending.” Read more 👉 https://lnkd.in/e5g6Z8WF ✍️ Article by Kim Elsesser #WomenInSTEM #GirlsInSTEM #STEMGems #GiveGirlsRoleModels