gender — Blog — Sage Perspectives Blog

Why do romantic relationships matter?: An account of Chinese young people in high schools

In recent decades, the UN Sustainable Development Goals have been influential in emphasizing the crucial interdependence of equity and sustainability. However, through worldwide research, researchers have noticed that there is still an existing risk of reproducing discrimination and exclusion against certain groups. Some key topics also lack sufficient discussion due to a series of limitations caused by local contexts. Sex and heterosexual romantic relationships are two culturally sensitive topics in Chinese society, especially among young people. Pre-adulthood heterosexual romantic relationships are often constructed as 'inappropriate' and 'unacceptable' due to being shaped by traditional sexual morality and constructions of 'how a good child/student should behave' in China. Consequently, understandings of sex and heterosexual romantic relationship experiences before adulthood are biased and limited.

ResearchWehida NiaziDecember 14, 2023china, gender, heterosexual, relationships

Embracing All Shades: The Protective Role of Skin Tone Satisfaction Amidst Gendered Racial Microaggressions

In recent years, Black women’s everyday experiences with unique oppression based on the intersections of race and gender have been understood through the concept of gendered racial microaggressions. Experiencing gendered racial microaggressions has been associated with a variety of mental health outcomes, including depression, anxiety, psychological distress, and traumatic stress.

Research, Editor's PicksMaria Pia TissotApril 27, 2023black women, race, gender

Gender Matters: The Not-Necessarily Invisible Experience of Being Queer

Within the United States, the stereotype that gay men are effeminate and lesbian women are masculine affects people of all genders, regardless of their sexual orientation. This stereotype reveals how gender expression – how we “do” gender through our clothing, hair style, accouterments, and body movements – is the basis upon which not only our gender identities are perceived (e.g., as a man, woman, nonbinary person) but also our sexual orientation (e.g., as straight, gay, lesbian).

Research, Editor's PicksMaria Pia TissotNovember 3, 2022gender, queer, psychology, sexual orientation, LGBTQ+

Sounding ‘native’: The impact of gender, identity, and peer groups on second language pronunciation

Why do some second language (L2) learners attain a native-like pronunciation in the L2 while others have a noticeable foreign accent? More than six decades of research has sought to answer this question, with much of this research focusing on the role of the learner’s first language (L1); this is referred to as L1 transfer and is widely accepted to have a significant influence on L2 pronunciation development.

The digital gender divide: A study of mobile phone use in rural India

The mobile phone has become an integral part of the everyday life of almost everyone in this world. Through the identification of differences in accessibility and use of technology including the mobile phone, a digital divide is seen to be emerging, and what is of great concern is the emergence of a digital gender divide.

ResearchLORNA MCCONNVILLEMarch 4, 2021SAGE post, mobile networks, gender, digital divide

Gender and Leadership

The linkage between gender and leadership has enormous workplace consequences. It currently favors men and disadvantages women, which is problematic from an equal opportunity and social justice perspective. I believe that the proper goal to be achieved is a workplace in which all employees are treated according to what they bring to the job and everyone is given the chance to reach their leadership potential, regardless of their gender. We’re not there yet.

Research, Editor's PicksGuest UserDecember 8, 2020gender, leadership, books, workplace, management, leader stereotypes

Academic women and Higher Education: some progress but a long way to go

Academia: a world of research and innovation, a field characterised by its drive to push the boundaries of knowledge. Yet in spite of this, in terms of female representation at all levels of the sector, we still have a long way to go. Despite considerable progress over the last few decades, in academia, women continue to face barriers to selection, promotion, recognition in work.

Research, Editor's PicksKimberley SimpsonMarch 18, 2020women in academia, Higher Education, gender, leadership

Sexualized gender stereotypes predict girls’ academic self-efficacy and motivation

“Girls live in a culture in which they see sexualized images of women and girls everywhere – on magazine covers at the grocery store, on Instagram and YouTube, on billboards, in movies, television, and music videos. According to research, by elementary school, children begin to stereotype those highly popular images of sexy women and girls as high in status, but not very smart. For both children and adults, being sexy is highly valued, but is seemingly incompatible with being smart. By the time kids enter middle school, they often believe that girls should be valued primarily for their sexual appeal and that boys should be focused solely on girls as sexual objects.

Revisiting the Jezebel Stereotype: The Impact of Target Race on Sexual Objectification

Black women are regularly depicted in an objectifying and sexualized manner in Western media, oftentimes as Jezebels. But do Black women experience greater objectification than White women?