Pauline E. Ranger Ashley Martin explains that despite fading stereotypes, “gender remains a very sticky category.”
A rock can reveal a lot of information about a person’s Gender.
In a recent experiment, Ashley Martin recruited over 200 participants, and each was given a rock. The first group was instructed to decorate their stones creatively, while the second was to anthropomorphize the rocks with “uniquely human qualities.”
Both groups were more likely than others to attribute Gender to their rocks, regardless of race, age, or sexual orientation. But those who anthropomorphized rocks were more likely than others to describe their creations as “humanlike.” The only factor that could predict how humanlike a rock looked was its Gender.
The participants created a human being from scratch, providing a glimpse into the essential characteristics of being seen as human. The results showed that Gender was “more central in conceptions of human beings than other social categories,” as Martin and her coauthor Malia Masonopen in a new window from Columbia University argued in a brand new paper entitled “What Does it Mean to be (Seen as) Human?” The Importance of Gender to Humanization.”
This finding is surprising, especially at a moment when we are used to indicating pronouns and using they/them. We also use gender-neutral bathrooms and browse through long lists of options. Facebook offers users more than 50 options to identify themselves. Martin says that even though our understanding of Gender has been re-evaluated and gender neutrality has gained wider acceptance, Gender remains the lens through which people perceive the social universe.
She says that Gender is a sticky category. “Many of us would like Gender to be eliminated because it limits people to two narrow identities and stereotypes. This is a lofty but possible goal. It’s more complicated than you might think.
What’s Behind The Big Two
The Big Two are the dimensions that describe how people perceive and process their social worlds. They’re seen across all disciplines.
Martin explains: “In motivation research and human values, we see it as agency and community.” Cultural research views this as individualism and collectivism. Personality research: alpha-beta, plasticity-stability. William James, the father of American Psychology, called it “tough-minded and tenderhearted.”
The first category is about the individual and their ability to reach goals. The second focuses on others and how to maintain and build relationships. Martin says that the types of masculinity or femininity are redundant. “They’re based on our notions of gender,” he adds. “And this suggests that many of the ways we categorize and understand our world are based on the gender differentiation between men versus women.”
Many of us would like Gender abolished because it limits people to two narrow identities and stereotypes. It’s an ambitious goal, but it is possible. But it’s more complicated than we might believe.AttributionAshley Martin
Martin and Slepian explain that while many modern humans see Gender as a social construct with roots in evolution, this is not the case. It may seem impolite today to guess someone’s Gender-based on their appearance, but historically the ability to discern Gender was crucial for a species’ survival. Humans needed two sexes for reproduction, so they needed to determine who was compatible. Gender roles were developed from the detection mechanism used to distinguish males and females.
Women, who were smaller and weaker, took on roles that involved raising children, gathering food, and managing the community. Martin notes that gender roles are also linked to specific skills, behaviors, and cognitive processes. Hunting and defense are enhanced by traits that relate to the agency, such as assertiveness and competitiveness. Nurturance, warmth, and expression are attributes that promote community.
Martin and Slepian note, “although the biological components of sexuality have largely remained necessary for reproduction, gender roles are not needed to survive today.” The authors approve that women and men can now transcend gendered categories. They add that this is still a relatively new development in humankind’s long history and evolution. These gender roles (and stereotyping) are still present.
Engendering Change
Martin explains that Gender has been encoded in culture in various ways beyond stereotypes. Martin says, “rougher names with vocal cord vibrations are associated with males, while softer names with a softer tone are associated only with females.” This is why names such as John, Drew, and Gary are more common for men than names like Shelley, Sarah, and Hannah. This study by Slepian found that this pattern was actual for American Indian and American names.
People apply Gender to shapes, colors, numbers, and toys. (Squares are seen as more masculine). Even other categories of social life are affected by gendered assumptions. Research shows that African Americans and Asians are viewed as being more masculine.
Martin says that gender pervasiveness is a great way to broaden our understanding of the traditional categories for women and men, even in the workplace. As gender inequality is driven primarily by the association between men and high-status jobs and skills that demand “masculine qualities” such as agency and leadership, it’s possible to focus on gender-specific aspects of roles and decouple stereotypes. As Martin points out, STEM fields are seen as masculine because they’re associated with independence and problem-solving. Women are more interested in STEM when skills such as creativity and relationality are highlighted.
Martin thinks reshaping or challenging the gender schema could be more effective than moving towards a “genderless world.” Martin and Mason, in their forthcoming paper that includes the rock study, argue that Gender plays a crucial role in humanizing our perceptions of humanity. They write that “individuals use gender to define the very notion of a person.”
Martin says that our reliance on Gender has become so entrenched the current move towards genderlessness will face challenges. She says removing Gender ultimately would be a disorienting experience for many people.
