Just kidding? Exploring the role of traditional versus counter-traditional gender role jokes on gender identity threat

The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between fathers’ involvement and maternal gatekeeping, gate-opening, and traditional paternal gender roles, as well as to evaluate fathers’ involvement as a mediating role in the relationship between maternal gate-opening, gatekeeping, traditional paternal gender roles, paternal competence, and marital satisfaction. Turkish fathers (N = 239) with a child aged 2–6 years were included in the study. They assessed maternal gatekeeping and gate-opening, their traditional gender roles, parenting competence, and marital satisfaction. Results indicated that fathers’ involvement is positively related to maternal gate-opening and negatively associated with traditional paternal gender roles; in addition, fathers’ involvement has a mediatory role between maternal gate-opening, traditional paternal gender roles and paternal competence and marital satisfaction. The results suggest that fathers who are involved in their children’s lives are more competent and have higher marital satisfaction.

How are gender identities negotiated within Irish Mormonism, and does this intersect with trends identifiable within Mormonism more generally? In this paper I use the examples of modern Ireland and modern Mormonism to speculate regarding the nature of gendered identities online. I suggest that Irish and Mormon cultures are both confronting serious challenges to traditional essentialist interpretations of femininity that have long dominated their cultural landscapes. I also suggest that social media (SM) and online spaces are facilitating these challenges. However, I observe that online spaces are also used in Irish Mormonism to conform to hegemonic Mormon understandings of gender identity. This is in keeping with international trends where we can see that Mormon SM and online engagement are often used to maintain traditional gender roles within the religion.Few people in Ireland are aware that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (the LDS Church) has a relatively long history there. Although many Irish may associate the LDS Church with a variety of non-Catholic religions that first took hold on Irish shores in the twentieth century, the first missionaries arrived in Down in the 1840s and in Dublin in 1850. However, fervent opposition both from Catholic clergy and Irish Protestants prevented the LDS Church from strong growth. Since these shaky origins, the LDS Church has struggled to increase its representation amongst the general Irish population. Recent census figures calculate the Mormon population to be 0.03 percent of the general population, spread across the country in just thirteen congregations.1What is the gendered experience of Mormonism in Ireland? The Irish census illustrates marginally more female than male members.2 I have noted elsewhere that the gendered differences between Mormon men and women in Ireland regarding work and caring3 are comparable to the general population.4 Thus, it is not correct to say that this aspect of Mormon gender roles is out of step with Irish society more generally. Contemporary gender in Ireland, like in other social locations, is heavily informed by historical influences, and history is essential. Women's historical role in Irish society has been well documented and is beyond the scope of this paper to encapsulate fully here.5 In summary, the Catholic Church and Irish state deliberately constructed a traditional and limited role for women to support the establishment of a Catholic Ireland in the aftermath of independence from the British in the early twentieth century. Thus, women's role was and still is intimately connected to Irish understandings of nationhood, citizenship, and morality. Ireland's 1937 Constitution provided a limited and specific duty centered around home duties.6 This articulation may remind us of the words of the LDS Church on a similar issue of delineated gender roles provided for by the church: “By divine design, fathers are to preside over their families in love and righteousness and are responsible to provide the necessities of life and protection for their families. Mothers are primarily responsible for the nurture of their children.”7 This “solidification of gendered spheres”8 within Mormonism has ensured that female Irish adherents are surrounded by both a religious and a national culture that have been informed by remarkably similar gendered ideals that emphasized limited and traditional roles for women.However, in contemporary times, the transformation in the position of women in Irish society and culture is clear, as the roles of women in Irish society have vastly expanded. Concomitantly, a growing consumerist, individualist, and competitive culture has also emerged in contemporary Irish society, shaping Irish identities in ways that conflict with the LDS Church's priorities.9 This societal change has transformed the position of women in Irish society but also affected how modern Irish women experience their social identities, including in online spaces. Many Irish women no longer feel constrained by community or religion to conform to essentialist gender roles that are rooted in religious ideologies about appropriate femininity. Young women have been socialized into their gender roles in an era of globalized communications that allow international cultural influences to form part of Irish women's identity creation. SM has facilitated spaces where Irish women can negotiate their own self presentation, both challenging and confirming gendered expectations.10Evaluating these trends, we can see there is a historical truth to the association of women with family and home in Ireland that continues to provide a contemporary legacy. Yet there also exists an individualist postfeminist discourse that encourages women to shape their identities through consumerism, to see themselves as independent individuals disconnected from family, community, or obligations, and to dis-identify with feminism as something that is unnecessary or outdated.11 This reconstruction of modern Irish femininity appears at first to conflict with more traditional understandings of Irish womanhood, but in fact young Irish women are engaged in an integration of the traditional and the modern through a continuing need to identify with Ireland's traditional understanding of womanhood as self-sacrificing, caring, and nurturing.12 That such opposing representations of womanhood exist in Ireland simultaneously creates multifaceted feminine identifications and provides us with a fascinating cultural landscape in which to explore how Mormon understandings of gender relate to this gendered milieu.The remainder of this essay will discuss the role of online spaces and SM in shaping feminine identities, how Mormon and Irish femininities are experienced online, and explain how SM and life online illuminates what at first may appear unclear: the commonalities across Irish and Mormon femininities in a global digital age. Within the European Union, Eurostat13 tells us that 57 percent of EU adults used SM in 2020, up from 36 percent in 2011. Amongst the sixteen-to-twenty-four age group, SM usage is becoming ubiquitous, currently at 86 percent. In Ireland, 61 percent of the population uses SM. Women are the predominant users of many of the most influential SM platforms, though men's use of such platforms is increasing.14 Thus, SM is a gendered landscape, and among younger generations, it is a taken for granted part of their everyday lives. It cannot be overlooked if we are to truly understand how young religious adherents experience their gendered religious identities.Why should we be interested in SM and online platforms to understand contemporary religious and gendered identities? One important issue is that of the negotiation of identity that online technologies and spaces allow. Such identity negotiation undermines essentialist interpretations of gender that have been in evidence in Mormonism and in Irish culture. Of course, this has always happened within religious cultures, and digital spaces are just facilitating these processes of identity in interesting ways, but nonetheless it is clear that participation within digital spaces can lead to adaptations of identity that challenge essentialism.15Within Mormonism, research finds that 19 percent of a sample of Mormon feminists online were male, 81 percent were attending church at least two to three times a month, and 70 percent held a church calling.16 It also shows that Mormon feminists are much more diverse than stereotypes allow and that they deliberately gather online to carve out a space where their Mormon and feminist identities can be reconciled. These samples are subverting the caricatured identity of a “Mormon feminist” by not conforming to expectations of being uniformly female, embittered, and/or inactive church members. Online activism and community building has allowed strict gender roles within Mormonism to be challenged in interesting ways,17 such as through engagement with Mormon feminist blogs.18 Yet these feminists sought out online spaces rather than offline spaces for their activism, which inadvertently may have caused their divergence from hegemonic Mormon culture to be less apparent in their offline lives. From this example we can see that digital spaces allow “conventional” members of the LDS Church to express the “unconventional” aspects of their Mormon identity and negotiate alternative expressions of their identities.Similar use of online spaces to confront essentialist understandings of female identity are also underway in Ireland. Irish feminists’ online activism strongly fueled Ireland's recent campaign to introduce limited legal access to abortion. These activists used digital storytelling to legitimize the marginalized experiences of women who had undergone abortions; to educate the public about the complexity of women, motherhood, and pregnancy; and to illuminate the role of Irish history in shaping our attitudes toward those same topics.19 This illustrates that online spaces are increasingly used by feminists to create community and organize in ways that side-step traditional challenges to face-to-face activism. The research from Jessica Finnegan and Nancy Ross demonstrates that within Mormonism, too, online strategies and spaces are tools to make change and to express aspects of oneself that the everyday culture does not accommodate or understand.As online and offline lives continue to blur, traditional forms of authority on gender both inside and outside religious institutions begin to break down, with potentially significant consequences for both religion and gender. In Ireland, the Catholic Church has lost the power to advise the population on a wide range of social and moral issues as a result of multiple state investigations into widespread abuse and exploitation. This diminishing power was evident during Ireland's recent abortion debates where the Catholic Church's voice was relegated to merely advocating for the continuing ban on abortion through known conservative Catholic public commentators rather than directly through church leadership. Though the Irish Catholic Church did make its position on the issue clear, their presence in the public debate preceding the referendum was more muted than we might have expected.Within Mormonism, too, the influence of SM and other platforms facilitates the emergence of new voices of authority within and outside of Mormonism. Live-tweeting by adherents during the Latter-day Saint general conference, and use of blogs, Facebook, and other platforms to express personal faith, is considered as digital ritual and recreates ordinary members as sources of authority with the power to communicate to wide audiences.20 Those who have left or oppose the LDS Church are also are free to publicize their interpretations of church doctrine and rhetoric instantaneously to wide audiences. We have seen evidence of this on Twitter as the LDS Church attempts (and often fails) to control the narrative regarding the position of LGBTQ members.Online spaces are not just used as locations to develop counter-cultural Mormon identities. They are also used as a powerful tool to facilitate conformity to hegemonic understandings of Mormon gendered identity. Evidence of this comes from Laura Thain, who argues that Mormon “modest fashion” blogs often center around performing appropriate Mormon femininity through clothing and reinforce gendered tradition through cultural production.21 Female-orientated blogs about Mormon family and the “Mormon Mom” SM phenomenon are a now central part of dominant Mormon culture, supporting constructions of Mormon women as home- and family-orientated that Mormons and non-Mormons aspire to.22 Analysis of the LDS Church's high profile “I'm a Mormon” online campaign also illustrates that while the church does makes an effort to show a diverse representation of women, it nonetheless reaffirms traditional gender roles as it primarily emphasizes stay-at-home motherhood above other female identities.23The loosening restrictions on missionaries’ use of SM has also created online opportunities for young Mormon women and men to conform to dominant understandings of a gendered Mormon identity. During the 2020 and 2021 COVID-19 pandemic, missionary SM accounts were vital to the continuation of proselytizing during lockdown restrictions. In Ireland, various missionary online contributions are often centrally distributed through the “Come unto Christ in the RoI” Facebook page for the LDS Church. On Mother's Day 2021, the page posted “Happy Women's Day” along with the hashtags “#mothersday” and “#womensday.” This may have been an attempt to avoid causing offense to female members in Ireland who are not mothers and who feel that the LDS Church's idealization of motherhood is exclusionary. Yet I could not help but feel that the intermingling of the categories of “woman” and “mother” in their post showed no awareness of the distinctiveness of the categories and thus reproduced assumptions within Mormon and Irish culture that to be female is to be a mother, or at least an aspiring mother. This alludes to an essentialist interpretation of womanhood that contradicts the diversity of gendered religious identities we see in Ireland, both inside and outside of Mormonism. A similar post from the Dublin Stake Facebook page in honor of International Women's Day 2021 included the hashtag “#womenspower” alongside “#mothers” “#daughters” “#sisters” “#wives” and “#fiancée.” This appears to imply that women derive their power through their status in relation to someone else, rather than through their own selves and their achievements.Young Irish women must perform a local version of femininity online that simultaneously reflects traditional Irish values of female sacrifice and motherhood alongside trend-driven representations of contemporary femininity through globalized fashion and pop culture.24 Within Mormon culture too, the Mormon Mom blog and SM phenomenon alongside personal and missionary SM profiles allow women to present their religious identities in new ways while still conforming to the dominant values of the culture that surrounds them. That the most successful Mormon SM influencers often use corporate sponsorship to earn incomes, raise their online visibility, and increase their power is also further evidence that a broader reevaluation of what modern femininity is, and should be, is underway within Mormonism as in Ireland and elsewhere.How has the LDS Church responded to these changes and what they represent? Gavin Stuart Feller notes that “it is clear that media function as the material and metaphysical infrastructure of the religion and the interface through which Mormonism positions itself in relation to the world.”25 He observes that the LDS Church has moved from viewing the development of the Internet as an opportunity on par with the development of radio or TV as a means to carry information to a more nuanced evaluation of online engagements, recognizing how such technology also has the capacity to underline and subvert official messaging. The LDS Church's fears in this regard are perhaps evident in the 2018 request by President Nelson that that adherents engage in a ten day “Social Media fast.”26 That this call was issued during the Women's Session of General Conference is highly significant and reveals much about how the LDS Church fears the effects of SM on female adherents specifically. Further evidence of this fear may be apparent in the words of Elder Ballard twenty years ago, who said that “today's popular culture, which is preached by every form of media from the silver screen to the Internet, celebrates the sexy, saucy, socially aggressive woman. These distortions are seeping into the thinking of some of our own women.”27 The use of the phrase “our own women” strikes me as possessive and proprietary. We must hope that perhaps the language used in 2001 would not be used today.However, it seems clear that despite the LDS Church's recent embrace of the potential of SM, there are also concerns about how members’ understandings of their own and others’ femininities may adapt due to the influences that the Internet has facilitated.28 In Ireland, the culture is grappling with rapidly changing understandings of gender that Irish Mormons must navigate as they also work through similar adaptations within their church. The degree to which Irish Mormon women turn to online spaces as a way to proclaim their own interpretations remains to be seen, but undoubtedly we must consider the relationship between gender and Mormonism online if we are to understand gender and Mormonism offline.

The subject of this research is feminine gender roles in Kristina Sabaliauskaitė’s Silva rerum and Kerstin Thorvall’s The Story of Signe. The aim of the thesis is to identify the most common traditional and non-traditional gender roles of women in historical literary narratives by two women writers. The study identifies six gender roles of women: four traditional (mother and wife, daughter and care-giver/housewife), and two non-traditional (adventurer and competitor). The research shows that in historical literary narratives, despite the space-time of the novels, the main semantic axis remains the traditional gender roles of women. The failure to fulfil traditional gender roles determines the emergence of non-traditional gender roles, and a negative impact on the state of women in the novels.

Over the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s the female employment in Europe increased while simultaneously there was a decline of male employment. However in spite of the policy change towards an “adult worker model” women are more affected than men by non-continuous employment. In my dissertation I examine the factors influencing the non-continuous employment of women in the 1990s. Thereby the transition of women from employment into housewifery will be analysed. In the 1990s West Germany and Italy were explicit familialistic welfare states concerning child care, while Spain was implicit familialistic. However in Spain and in Italy women were more continuously employed than in West Germany. On the basis of the country comparison it becomes clear in the dissertation, that the family policies of the states are influential but these policies are not enough to explain the non-continuous employment of women. In both southern European countries a high level of education has a relatively strong negative effect on the transition of employed women into housewifery, which does not exist in West Germany. Furthermore the membership in different social classes shows significant effects in both southern European countries, which cannot be found in West Germany. Because of the statistical control of the income the results of education and social class cannot only be ascribed to material conditions. The non-continuos employment of women is influenced by resources, opportunities and restrictions, but also by cultural processes and processes of identity. These processes are associated with the membership to a particular social class or to a particular educational level. In Italy and Spain considerable importance is attached to the labour market. Although in all three countries temporary employment and employment in small companies influence in a positive way the transition of women into housewifery, the influence in West Germany is not as strong as in Italy and Spain. The part-time work influences in a positive way the transition exclusively in both southern European countries. In Italy the employment in the public sector plays a key role: it influences negatively the transition into housewifery. Furthermore the analysis shows similarities between all three countries. Spells of housewifery in all three countries influence positively the transition into housewifery. They belong to the concept of living of employed women and refer to traditional values concerning gender roles. The existence of a husband shows also positive effects in all three countries while the income shows negative effects on this transition. Because of the statistical control of the portion of the woman’s own income in the household income, the positive effect of the existence of a husband is less related to the allocation of resources than to the traditional gender roles and values in the marital partnership. Both income and spells of housewifery show stronger effects in West Germany than in Italy and Spain. These results refer to more traditional gender roles of West German employed women than of employed women in Italy and Spain. A descriptive analysis about the attitudes of employed women in all three countries concerning gender roles confirmes these results. In all three countries an additional transition was analysed. In West Germany the transition into housewifery is important in combination with simultaneous marginal employment, while in Italy and Spain this transition is relevant if combined with unemployment. In all three countries different results could be detected depending on whether housewifery was combined with non-employment, with marginal employment like in West Germany or with unemployment like in Italy and in Spain. This leads to the necessity of a more precise description of housewifery.

The unfair gender roles under patriarchal system are constructed to preserve gender inequality between men and women. Gender role practices extend gradually to maintain the male hegemony to make women powerless because female traditional gender roles (femininities) create dependency to men. Men are assigned to masculinities equipped with power, whereas women are ascribed to femininities to set boundaries that limit their movement. Yet, the increase of female awareness of gender equality has changed this situation. Gender roles are gradually shifting from traditional to modern as the opportunities to receive education and job open widely to develop women's roles that enable them to give financial contribution to the family. This study was purposed to analyze the shift in gender roles in 'The Joy Luck Club' and 'The Kite Runner'. This study used qualitative design in which Chinese traditional gender roles were described using Confucian perspective, whereas Afghan traditional gender roles were exposed in Islamic perspective. Moreover, Karl Marx's conflict theory was used to analyze the shift in gender roles in both novels. The results of study found that the construction of traditional gender roles in both China and Afghanistan was influenced mostly by patriarchy which perceives men as more superior than women. However, the dynamic changes of gender roles, especially femininities, supported by the increase of female education and occupation provide women with more power to achieve development. Further studies are encouraged to analyze other gender roles which have not discussed in this study.

The present study aims to investigate the relationship between traditional gender roles and the frequency of sexual intimacy within romantic relationships, considering sexual desire and societal norms and expectations. The study was conducted among a convenience sample of men and women in Israel. The survey included measures of sociodemographic information, traditional gender roles, sexual desire, perceived partner’s sexual desire, and frequency of engaging in sex. Findings suggest that men who embraced less traditional gender roles exhibit a greater synchronization between their own sexual desire and their perceived partner’s sexual desire, whereas women who embraced more traditional gender roles tend to rely more on their partners’ sexual desire in their frequency of sex. These results imply that men’s sexual desire plays a significant role in determining the frequency of sexual activity in romantic relationships, especially in relationships where traditional gender roles are more strongly embraced. Findings from the current study underscore the idea that the decision to engage in intimate acts may not solely hinge on individual sexual desire; rather, it operates within a broader context influenced by societal and cultural expectations. It is important to challenge societal norms to promote more balanced and equitable sexual dynamics in committed relationships.

Participation in elections is essential for the health of democracies. Regardless of gender, individuals may hold traditional beliefs about women's roles in society that hinder their engagements in areas that challenge gender stereotypes, such as political participation. In this study, we examined how gender and beliefs about gender roles influence voting participation, while accounting for various ideological and demographic factors. We also explored how structural gender inequality, as measured by the country-level Gender Inequality Index, is reflected in voting at the individual level. Data were collected in a cross-country study ( N = 19,297 participants, 51.2% women, mean age = 41.3, SD = 14.76) from 18 countries. We employed an innovative method, Multi-Group Factor Analysis Alignment, to address cross-country measurement invariance of the Traditional Gender Roles scale—a key construct in this study. Results from multi-level modeling revealed significant main effects of gender and beliefs about traditional gender roles, but no significant interaction between them. Citizens who endorse traditional gender roles were less likely to vote, regardless of their gender. This effect was more pronounced in societies with low to moderate levels of structural gender inequality. In contrast, in countries with pervasive gender inequality, voting was not associated with individual beliefs about gender roles. These findings highlight the importance for policymakers to address the detrimental effects of structural gender inequality and traditional gender roles in society, that can hinder citizens participation in voting.

Sitcom has been worldwide famous since the 1950s. Friends is one of the most well-known sitcoms, telling the story of friends who lived in New York City during their youth. I will analyze gender roles issues in Friends. In this study, I will analyze how the six main characters adopt traditional gender roles and how the six main characters eventually challenge them. I use several theories, such as traits of traditional gender roles, theory of gender roles orientation, and theory of egalitarianism. My analysis demonstrates that each of the six main characters adopted at least one trait of traditional gender roles at the beginning of the series. The traits they adopted will be categorized by their personal attitude, social behavior, value, self-concept, and career choice. By the end of the series, the six main characters had eventually challenged traditional gender roles and adopted more to the Egalitarianism theory.

Background/Context Explanations for the relatively low numbers of Latinas pursuing higher education have tended to focus on socialization into traditional gender roles. However, recent scholarship has challenged this view, suggesting that gender roles—partic-ularly among recent immigrants—are mutable and subject to constant renegotiation. Purpose/Objective/Research Question/Focus of Study This article suggests that forgoing college, far from representing a retreat into traditional women's roles, might in some cases represent emergent feminism and a means for Latina immigrants to contest and reshape those roles. Setting A new Latino diaspora community in the rural southeastern United States. Research Design Longitudinal qualitative case study of an adolescent immigrant Latina. Findings/Results Both risk factors and facilitative factors previously identified by research as contributing to Latino/a college enrollment were found to be present in the case study student's background. The article argues, however, that some gender-specific factors often used to explain Latina school-leaving and low academic ambitions, such as close association with teenage mothers and responsibilities for household chores and child care, served instead as deterrents for this Latina adolescent from taking traditional gender roles. On the other hand, the article argues that the association between higher education and increased independence and a break from traditional gender roles that is often assumed for American-born women did not hold for a working-class Latina. Rather, her wage-earning represented a better position from which to challenge traditional gender roles within her family. Conclusions/Recommendations This case study confirms the heterogeneity and diversity to be found in the individual schooling paths of Latino/a immigrant youth, and thus the value of close examination of the protracted and as yet little understood process through which Latinas/os make the decision to pursue or forgo higher education over the course of high school. The article lends support to arguments in recent scholarship suggesting the mutability of gender roles in immigrant communities. It suggests that new attention be paid in research and college recruitment programs to growing evidence of gender-specific factors at work in Latino/a immigrant students’ academic achievement and college-going decisions.

An empirical test of a mediation model of the impact of the traditional male gender role on suicidal behavior in men

This study examines three perspectives in the literature about menopausal depression. According to one, the physiological changes of menopause result in increased psychological distress. Another approach proposes that menopause is most depressing for women who occupy traditional female gender roles. The third asserts that menopause is not especially depressing for most women. This study empirically examines three perspectives using data from two community surveys. These analyses suggest menopausal status may not be associated with depressive symptomatology, either directly or indirectly through traditional gender roles.

Gender roles in household decision making refer to the traditional division of responsibilities and decision-making power between men and women within a family or household. Historically, many societies have adhered to traditional gender roles, where men are often considered the primary decision-makers, particularly in matters related to finances and major family decisions. Women, on the other hand, have often been assigned the roles of managing the household, taking care of children, and dealing with domestic matters. However, it's important to recognize that gender roles are not fixed and vary significantly across cultures, regions, and individual households. Moreover, over time, many societies have witnessed a shift in traditional gender roles, with more emphasis on gender equality and shared decision making. The main purpose of this research was to understand the perception of people regarding the evolvement of gender roles in any household decision making. A Descriptive Cross Sectional study method was used. Altogether, 40 respondents were selected through purposive sampling method, questionnaires, Face to face interview, Informal focused group discussion; Key informant interview method was used using Structured Questionnaire to collect data from respondents. Data analysis was done through MS Excel. It is revealed from the research Gender roles in household decision making refer to the traditional division of responsibilities and decision-making power between men and women within a family or household. Historically, many societies have adhered to traditional gender roles, where men are often considered the primary decision-makers, particularly in matters related to finances and major family decisions. Women, on the other hand, have often been assigned the roles of managing the household, taking care of children, and dealing with domestic matters. However, it's important to recognize that gender roles are not fixed and vary significantly across cultures, regions, and individual households. Moreover, over time, many societies have witnessed a shift in traditional gender roles, with more emphasis on gender equality and shared decision making

This study focused on how gender roles change from traditional to modern society with the impact of globalization by exploring the role of culture, technology, and environment. Globalization is the integration process that may affect human wellbeing, environment, economic development, and societal prosperity worldwide. A qualitative method was used to conduct in-depth interviews with 12 participants comprising of generation X (1965-1979), generation Y (1980-1994), and generation Z (1995-2004). Participants were sampled purposively. Through thematic analysis 10 major themes were discovered; (i) Perceived traditional gender roles, (ii) Transitional gender roles, (iii) Practicing traditional gender roles, (iv) Socio-cultural and family pressure, (v) Adopting new behavioral characteristics by females, (vi) Technology Forman Journal of Social Sciences (2022) Volume 2 DOI: 10.32368/FJSS.20220205 2 paved new ways and convenience, (vii) Negative aspects of Technology, (viii) Sensitized gender concept, (ix) Exposure to a hazardous environment, and (x) Social deconstruction of gender roles. The following information was found with regard to different generations and genders: (i) The element of acceptance and change is more evident in generation Z than in generation X; (ii) The male respondents are more persistent in traditional gender roles; (iii) The influence of technology on changing gender roles is more evident among the female participants; and (iv) Generation X and Y have more stereotypical views on gender roles than generation Z. The implication of this study is that gender roles are changing significantly over time in Pakistan due to globalization and technological development. Keywords: Globalization, Technology, Culture, Environment, Generation X, Generation Y and Generation Z

Purpose: This study aims to explore the representation of gender roles and stereotypes in contemporary literature. The analysis was conducted using secondary data from a variety of literary works published in the past decade. The study aimed to investigate how gender dynamics are portrayed and whether traditional gender roles and stereotypes are reinforced or challenged. Methodology: A comprehensive literature review was conducted to select appropriate works for analysis. A total of 30 novels and short stories were selected across different genres, including fiction, drama, and science fiction. The data were analyzed using thematic analysis to identify common themes and patterns related to gender roles and stereotypes. Findings: The findings of the study revealed a complex depiction of gender roles in contemporary literature. While some works challenged traditional gender norms and portrayed more fluid, non-stereotypical characters, others reinforced traditional gender roles and stereotypes. Additionally, the study found that the portrayal of gender roles varied across genres, with science fiction and fantasy literature often presenting more progressive and diverse gender representations. The study also identified several common stereotypes associated with gender, such as the nurturing and caring nature of women and the dominance and aggressiveness of men. However, it is important to note that these stereotypes were not universally present, and many works depicted characters who deviated from these norms. Overall, this study contributes to our understanding of how gender roles and stereotypes are represented in contemporary literature. It reveals the complexity and diversity of gender dynamics portrayed in literary works, highlighting both the presence of traditional gender roles and stereotypes and the emergence of more fluid and non-stereotypical characters. Unique Contribution to Theory, Practice and Policy: The findings suggest that literature has the potential to challenge and redefine gender norms and that the portrayal of gender roles varies across genres. This study provides insights for scholars, educators, and readers interested in understanding and discussing gender representation in literature and encourages further exploration of gender dynamics in contemporary literary works.

PurposeBased on the social role theory, role congruity theory and gender role conflict theory, this paper aims to investigate the mediating role of “relationship conflict” in the association between traditional gender role (TGR) endorsement and objective and subjective negotiation outcomes.Design/methodology/approachTwo experimental negotiation studies (n1 = 138, n2 = 128) were conducted at a US university.FindingsThis paper presents three original and noteworthy findings: One, in mixed-gender negotiations, as a dyad’s TGR endorsement increases, final agreements become significantly more likely to favor men than women. Two, in mixed-gender negotiations, TGR endorsement is significantly associated with a decreased ability to establish a pleasant, mutually satisfactory and successful business relationship, resulting in a possible future economic cost due to lost opportunity. Three, the heightened relationship conflict during the negotiation mediates the negative association between TGR endorsement and women’s economic outcomes.Research limitations/implicationsEmpirical findings support social role theory, role congruity theory and gender role conflict theory. The use of a distributive negotiation case and laboratory research methodology may limit the generalizability of findings.Practical implicationsFindings about the detrimental effects of TGR in mixed-gender negotiations magnify the importance of becoming aware of our TGR orientations and their potential negative consequences on our long-term collaborations. Also, it is necessary to provide negotiation trainings to both genders with regard to gender-driven conflicts and offer tools to prevent or tackle such conflicts.Social implicationsNegotiations are among the most consequential of social interactions as their results have a substantial impact on individuals’ careers and financial outcomes. Understanding the effect of TGRs is paramount to improve female representation, participation and effectiveness in management and leadership. Mixed-gender negotiations such as collective equality bargaining, workplace social interactions, work-life balance discourse are critical to establishing gender equality and fairness in organizations and societies.Originality/valueUnderstanding how gender influences negotiation processes and outcomes and using the findings to improve both genders’ negotiation success are crucial to establishing fairness and equity in society and business. This research attempts to close a gap in the literature by focusing on the potential function of gender role orientation in explaining gender differences in negotiation.