Research on gender

1. Research on gender • Distinguishing sex and gender • Sex: biological differences in genetic composition, reproductive anatomy and function • Gender: the social, cultural, and psychological aspects that are relevant to men and women • Why is this distinction important?

2. Potential research biases in gender research • Steps in the research process: • topic • survey of the literature • hypotheses • design • Results (analyses) • discussion

3. Potential bias at each level of this process 1. Choosing topic: What type of research is funded? What research questions are considered important by the culture? 2. Survey of literature: What work is published? 3. Hypotheses: how we ask research question previous research using different concepts to describe similar behavior in men and women

4. Biases continued • Design • operational definitions • is the experimental situation equivalent? • Subject selection • Results (Analyses) • emphasis on finding difference • Conclusions • overgeneralize findings • misinterpretation of findings

5. Other sources of gender bias Labels we use Similar behavior in men and women labeled differently. Different abilities labeled differently Androcentric norms: “male as normative” Examples? Ethnocentric bias: North American culture as normative.

6. Gender Bias continued • Heterosexist bias: Examples? Widespread? • Lee & Crawford (2007). • Anthropomorphic language:

7. Gender bias in language • priority ordering of male and female in common phrases. • Use of feminine terms as insults

8. Language continued • trivializing or infantilizing women • women likened to animals or food • verbs and adjectives used to describe men and women confer different meanings. Examples? • Masculine generic> Is it really generic?

9. Crawford, 2012 • Term for Male Term for Female • Lord Lady • Sir Madame • King Queen • Master Mistress • Dog Bitch