Feminine Position Research Articles

Gendered stereotype content for people with a nonbinary gender identity

Background Gender stereotypes about women and men have a complementary structure, where women and men are seen as high/low in feminine characteristics and low/high in masculine characteristics. These stereotypes are related to representation within social roles, where beliefs about social role occupation influences which characteristics are associated with women or men. It is not known how people with gender identities that do not fit a binary structure are stereotyped. The current study provides a first step towards addressing this gap. Methods Swedish participants (N = 152) reported descriptive stereotype content (positive/negative feminine/masculine personality characteristics) and estimations of representation within domestic and occupational social roles for people with a nonbinary gender identity for the past, present, and future in a between-groups design. Stereotype content for the past included a higher degree of feminine compared to masculine characteristics, but ratings for the present and future showed no differentiation between femininity and masculinity. Results People with a nonbinary gender identity were believed to more frequently occupy feminine compared to masculine social roles for all time points; this was especially pronounced for occupational social roles. The theorised connection between social role occupation and stereotype content did not emerge: degree of positive masculinity and femininity correlated positively with representation in masculine domestic and occupational roles respectively, but positive femininity was negatively correlated with representation in feminine occupational roles. Conclusions These results indicate that stereotypes about people with a nonbinary gender identity do not show the same complementary pattern or reliance on social roles as gender stereotypes about women and men, but that there is a feminine bias in perceptions of social role occupation for people with a nonbinary gender identity.

Gendered stereotype content for people with a nonbinary gender identity

Background Gender stereotypes about women and men have a complementary structure, where women and men are seen as high/low in feminine characteristics and low/high in masculine characteristics. These stereotypes are related to representation within social roles, where beliefs about social role occupation influences which characteristics are associated with women or men. It is not known how people with gender identities that do not fit a binary structure are stereotyped. The current study provides a first step towards addressing this gap. Methods Swedish participants (N = 152) reported descriptive stereotype content (positive/negative feminine/masculine personality characteristics) and estimations of representation within domestic and occupational social roles for people with a nonbinary gender identity for the past, present, and future in a between-groups design. Stereotype content for the past included a higher degree of feminine compared to masculine characteristics, but ratings for the present and future showed no differentiation between femininity and masculinity. Results People with a nonbinary gender identity were believed to more frequently occupy feminine compared to masculine social roles for all time points; this was especially pronounced for occupational social roles. The theorised connection between social role occupation and stereotype content did not emerge: degree of positive masculinity and femininity correlated positively with representation in masculine domestic and occupational roles respectively, but positive femininity was negatively correlated with representation in feminine occupational roles. Conclusions These results indicate that stereotypes about people with a nonbinary gender identity do not show the same complementary pattern or reliance on social roles as gender stereotypes about women and men, but that there is a feminine bias in perceptions of social role occupation for people with a nonbinary gender identity.

Snow White’s Characterization in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs by Vera Southgate and Regis Maine: A Comparison from Liberal Feminists’ Perspectives

Women in society experienced unequal treatment due to their genders which aroused women's actions to fight for opportunities. The ideology of feminism concerns the life struggles of women to encounter the patriarchal culture and reach gender equality. This study is aimed to analyze and compare the characterizations of Snow White based on feminists' perspective. The subject of this research is Snow White as the main character in two different versions. The study employed textual analysis and revealed that Snow White with positive femininity, such as beautiful, diligent, and expressive, and negative femininity, such as dependent. The data analysis will be presented in three parts, including the similarities, the differences, and the comparison of Snow White's characterizations based on feminists' perspectives. The research will follow the qualitative analysis consisting of data collection, data reduction, data display, and conclusion drawing. However, in the story by Regis Maine, Snow White is described as more feminist than Vera Southgate's character. It can be concluded that Snow White in the story by Regis Maine is more feminist than Snow White in the story by Vera Southgate due to the masculine and feminine traits which could be used to encounter the patriarchal culture and reach gender equality.

Les sexuations, le féminin et la logique intuitionniste

ObjectivesWe propose a logical reflection on the feminine. In the Freudian corpus, this enigma finds various answers in which feminine desire can be interpreted from the phallic register's side. But, as a letter written to Marie Bonaparte testifies, Sigmund Freud belatedly concedes that he neglected a grey area of feminine desire, which caused him to fail to understand what women want. He calls this lack the dark continent. In this respect, Jacques Lacan took this reflexion a step further and, while considering the phallic dimension, he proposed additional theoretical elaborations such as the formulas of sexuation, which allowed him to theoretically extend Freudian ideas. MethodIn the Encore seminar, Lacan proposes the table of sexuation as an attempt to formalize the question of the difference of the sexes. This difference is questioned here at a symbolic level and through a logical approach. Lacan's formulas of sexuation thus overturn a simplistic and anatomical conception of sexual difference, by subverting a binary logic of the excluded third. In this way, these formulas meet the intuitionistic logic suggested by Luitzen Egbertus Jan Brouwer. Thus, based on a review of the Lacanian and Brouwerian literature, we question the interest of relying on intuitionism to apprehend the logic that operates on the feminine side of the formulas of sexuation. ResultsAt the beginning of the 20th century, Brouwer, a Dutch mathematician, initiated his work on intuitionist logic. In 1908, in “That Logical Principles Cannot be Trusted,” Brouwer partially rejected the classical axiom of the excluded third, thereby opposing the Aristotelian foundations of logic. He refused to extend the logic of the excluded third to the treatment of infinite sets, for which, according to him, no a priori can be postulated. A double logical treatment is suggested in intuitionism: the infinite is treated logically differently than the finite, and this double treatment allows us to apprehend certain specificities of the feminine position. Lacan specifies that for feminine subjects, an undecidable relation is at work between the not-all formula and a double negation ¬∃x.¬Φx. DiscussionThe logical double treatment of intuitionism seems to illustrate the discordant logic of the not-all. The not-all subject is in a discordant relation between the phallic function Φx and S (Ⱥ). The formula S (Ⱥ) expresses a certain relation to the lack in the Other that we associate with a castration carried out on the Other. Similarly, the different interpretations (algorithmic, semantic) that have been made of intuitionism also seem to point in the direction of a discordance in this logic. We are interested in the importance of the interpretation of the Real and its consequences on the way we consider the different Lacanian dimensions (Real, Symbolic, and Imaginary). Indeed, from a psychoanalytical point of view, the sustained interpretation seems to have consequences on the way one can conceive the articulation between the dimensions and the jouissances. This reflection also allows us to question the impact of considering the temporal dimension within an interpretation. ConclusionsBased upon the formulas of sexuation, we propose a reflection on the interest of intuitionist logic for approaching the logic of the feminine position. This position reflects a logic other than that of the excluded third in its relationship to castration. On the feminine side, Lacan puts forward an undecidable relation to castration, which leads us to question the meaning he gives to this term. In order to understand it, we have drawn on the two definitions of Verleugnung proposed by Freud, in which this negation corresponds either to the way of denying the difference between the sexes in the perverse structure, or to a singular negation of the neurosis that can be associated with the end of the cure. In both cases, the logic of these negations diverges from that of the excluded third, because in perversion, it relates to an affirmation of castration that is secondarily denied (yes but no) and in the case of the end of the cure, it is rather a concomitant consideration between affirmation and negation of symbolic castration (yes and no).

“It was wrapped in a kind of normalcy”: The lived experience and consequences in adulthood of survivors of female child sexual abuse

BackgroundSurvivors' surveys on the frequency of sexual offenses committed by women indicated a prevalence rate of 9.9 % to 11.6 %. Nevertheless, only a few studies have explored the long-term consequences of abuse on survivors. ObjectivesExamine the lived experiences and the long-term consequences of child sexual abuse committed by women. ParticipantsFifteen adult participants who experienced child sexual abuse conducted by female offenders participated in the study. MethodsThe Interpretive Phenomenological Approach was applied to semi-structured interviews. ResultsThree central themes emerged: types of abuse, characteristics of the perpetrator, and consequences of abuse. Most survivors experienced direct or indirect forms of sexual abuse committed by their mothers. In most cases, the offenders masked their abuse in caregiving, disciplinary or playful behavior. The survivors perceived their mothers as narcissistic, controlling, hostile, and having tremendous difficulties with separation. The survivors reported the need to engage in extensive negative long-lasting psychopathologies, which they attributed partly to having been invalidated and silenced by society. Many participants expressed fears of re-enacting the survivor or perpetrator role, which has led to difficulties in various relationships. They described an altered perception of their bodies as shameful and repulsive, manifesting in self-harm, eating disorders, and the elimination of signs of femininity. ConclusionThis complex form of sexual abuse hampers the internalization and the construction of positive feminine, masculine, and parental identities.

Feminist Ethics: Its Effect on Society

This paper discusses the approach of feminist ethics toward different issues affecting society. Feminist ethics is an approach toward ethical behavior that considers feminine positions, in contrast to the traditional study of ethics which is considered by many to be male-centric.

Aging, Anxiety and Inequality: The Relation between Anxiety about Aging and Gender Inequality among Women in Shiraz City (Iran)

Introduction: Taking into account the growth of increase in the elderly population in Iran and the world, and the emergence of the phenomenon of feminization of aging, the present study has been conducted, with aim of examining the relationship between anxiety about aging and the perceived and experienced gender inequality among the women of Shiraz city (Iran).
 
 Methods: This cross-sectional study has been carried on 30 to 70 years old women in the city of Shiraz. The requied sample size is estimated to be 405 individuals, and the participants selected through a stratified random sampling. Data collection has taken place by a questionnaire which some of the questions of that were made by the authors and some are borrowed from anxiety about aging scale.The collected data were analyzed with SPSS 21 using pearson corellation tests.
 
 Results: Experienced inequality has a significant positive correlation with anxiety about aging (total) (r = 0.226; p < 0.01). The relation between perceived inequality has also been positive and significant with anxiety about aging (total) (r = 132; p < 0.05). Furthermore, there is a significant relationship between gender inequality (perceived and experienced) and anxiety about aging in different aspects, including social and economic fears, psychological fears, fear of losing the feminine position, fear of losing health, and fear of physical changes and changes in appearance.
 
 Conclusion: The anxiety about aging increases among women who experience and percive gender inequality. According to the accelerating process of population aging and the importance of paying attention to the social, psychological, and physical health of elderly women, it is necessary to take more considerations into account. In this regard, planning for decreasing the gender gap and inequality can be effective to some extent. Seemingly, the intersection of “the phenomenon of feminization of poverty,” due to gender inequality, with the phenomenon of “feminization of aging” in the future brings to the fore the necessity of paying attention to “anxiety about aging.”

Lady Chandos and the Humanity Function: Reading the Postscript to J. M. Coetzee’s "Elizabeth Costello" with Lacan and Badiou

Badiou has said that his entire philosophical project stems from the need to “update” the traditional philosophical categories of Truth, Being, the Infinite and the Universal in the wake of the 19th Century German mathematician Georg Cantor’s explication of transfinite set theory. In his essay, “What is Love?”, he provides an account of one of the ways in which a post-Cantorian reconfiguration of the ontological status of the category of Woman might operate. This is given in the form of a postscript subtitled “The Feminine Position and Humanity” wherein he gives Lacan’s conception of supplementary feminine jouissance “an extra turn of the screw”. This essay draws on Badiou’s reconfiguration of the philosophical category of Woman to examine the implications of another postscript, that which abruptly concludes the 2003 novel Elizabeth Costello by J. M. Coetzee. It reads Coetzee’s invention of the “Letter of Elizabeth, Lady Chandos” with recourse to Lacanian psychoanalytic theory and on through the ontological reconfiguration of the philosophical category of Woman demonstrated by Badiou. It argues that Coetzee assembles, through the intervention of the postscript, a situation that “makes it possible to argue”, along with Badiou, that, for the woman position, love knots together the four types of truths – Politics, Art, Science, and Love (2008, 196).

Lady Chandos and the Humanity Function: Reading the Postscript to J. M. Coetzee´s Elizabeth Costello with Lacan and Badiou

Badiou has said that his entire philosophical project stems from the need to “update” the traditional philosophical categories of Truth, Being, the Infinite and the Universal in the wake of the 19th Century German mathematician Georg Cantor’s explication of transfinite set theory. In his essay, “What is Love?”, he provides an account of one of the ways in which a post-Cantorian reconfiguration of the ontological status of the category of Woman might operate. This is given in the form of a postscript subtitled “The Feminine Position and Humanity” wherein he gives Lacan’s conception of supplementary feminine jouissance “an extra turn of the screw”. This essay draws on Badiou’s reconfiguration of the philosophical category of Woman to examine the implications of another postscript, that which abruptly concludes the 2003 novel Elizabeth Costello by J. M. Coetzee. It reads Coetzee’s invention of the “Letter of Elizabeth, Lady Chandos” with recourse to Lacanian psychoanalytic theory and on through the ontological reconfiguration of the philosophical category of Woman demonstrated by Badiou. It argues that Coetzee assembles, through the intervention of the postscript, a situation that “makes it possible to argue”, along with Badiou, that, for the woman position, love knots together the four types of truths – Politics, Art, Science, and Love (2008, 196).

Strong and caring? The stereotypic traits of women of color in politics

ABSTRACT We apply a theory of stereotype subtypes and subgroups from social psychology to clarify whether there is a uniform “women of color” stereotype and whether there are differences in the stereotypes ascribed to women across different racial and ethnic backgrounds. We test the extent to which positive feminine and positive masculine stereotypes comprise the stereotype content of not only Latinas and Black women but also Asian women, Native American women, and Muslim women vying for political leadership roles. Using three empirical tests, we test for the presence of a unique women of color stereotype category that fits into a subtype that differs from the stereotypes of female politicians more generally. We also test for whether subgroups defined by a woman’s race and/or ethnicity exist within the broader women of color stereotype category. We find limited evidence of a unique women of color subtype or subgroup stereotypes as individuals make few distinctions between women belonging to different racial and ethnic categories. These results have implications for the abilities of Latinas, Black women, Asian women, Native American women, and Muslim women to run for and win political office.

‘Monsters are they in Nature’: Female Masturbation and Constructions of Femininity in the Early Eighteenth Century England

AbstractSerious alarm about female masturbation first emerged during a transitional period for beliefs on female sexuality. This article examines the gender history of masturbation through the shifting constructions of femininity at work in early anti‐masturbation discourse. While the founding work of the anti‐masturbation campaign (Onania, 1716) portrayed female autoeroticism as a significant concern, existing scholarship pays limited attention to how anti‐masturbation sentiment interacted with early modern femininities. This article explores this conflicted relationship in the early years of the movement, with a comparative analysis of how Onania and one of its most vocal critics portrayed female masturbation. Onania, which stemmed from a traditional paradigm of negative femininity, regarded all women as innately lustful and likely to masturbate. Onania Examined, and Detected, a critical tract embracing the increasingly dominant paradigm of positive femininity, denounced these claims as an unacceptable slur on female virtue. Nevertheless, its characterisation of the female masturbator reveals the continuing influence of traditional misogyny, with negative femininity repurposed as a deviation from a naturalised virtuous norm. This close analysis of early anti‐masturbation discourse reveals the cultural process of navigating a transitional phase in the construction of gender, which addressed old anxieties by incorporating them into a new paradigm.

Choreographing gender: masculine domination and heteronormativity in physical education

ABSTRACT The aim of this study is to highlight gender norms in physical education (PE) dance lessons, in order to analyse how secondary school students, both girls and boys, negotiate these norms. To do this, we used Bourdieu’s concept of masculine domination and Butler’s theory of heteronormativity. Video material was collected from eight Swedish secondary schools. This material was analysed qualitatively with the help of masculine domination and heteronormativity. We bring to light three relevant vignettes that illustrate gender norms during the dance lessons. The first vignette explains that, in most cases, girls choreograph and boys execute. Hence, this situation testifies the emergence of traditional and normative gendered positions between students, accordingly to their gender. Secondly, if the roles are reversed between girls and boys, suggesting that masculine domination is less prevalent during the dance lessons, we demonstrate that girls are still dominated because they teach boys how they should lead girls (at least so that it looks like they are leading). Finally, we observed that masculine domination can be considered a double oppression on boys and girls. There appears a co-construction of the students’ own submission because girls teach boys how these have to be masculine, meanwhile boys, victims of their own oppression, keep the position as followers in this feminine activity. In parallel, girls assign masculine and feminine positions according to the gender of the students and support, eventually, the reproduction of balance of power representing the heteronormativity of gendered norms. In conclusion, masculine domination seems, at first glance, to be challenged in PE dance lessons because girls have the dominant role. However, by keeping the balance of power between the gendered positions, they strengthen heteronorms, that is, a principal element of the emergence of masculine domination.

Appointees versus Elected Officials: The Implications of Institutional Design on Gender Representation in Political Leadership

ABSTRACT We explore how institutional design, whether a position is elected or appointed, influences women’s representation in state executive leadership positions, including cabinet secretaries and heads of bureaucratic agencies. We expect this relationship is conditional on if the position addresses a stereotypically feminine or masculine policy area. As women are less politically ambitious and perceive electoral disadvantages in running for masculine positions, we expect the pool of women willing to accept an appointed masculine position is greater than those willing to run for elected office. However, for feminine positions, women may perceive their gender as an advantage and are more willing to run. Using original data of state executive leaders, we find women are more likely to serve in elected than appointed feminine positions, but the opposite is true for masculine positions. This article provides insight into how institutional decisions can impact the presence of underrepresented groups in government.

AN ANALYSIS OF LIBERAL FEMINISM IN THE NOTEBOOK NOVEL (1996) BY NICHOLAS SPARKS

In The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks, Allison Nelson was characterized as an inspiring woman who fought for her dreams. Meanwhile, Noah Calhoun was described as a loving man that respected Allison as a woman. This novel contained traits of rich liberal feminism. The purpose of the present research was to find out the traits of Noah Calhoun and Allison Nelson as the main characters that represented liberal feminism in the novel. The method of this research was textual analysis to analyze the traits. Data collection was linguistics unit corpora recorded in written forms. The finding of this research can be stated that Noah Calhoun and Allison Nelson were categorized as liberal feminists. Their traits were a combination of positive feminine and masculine traits. The traits of the main characters as liberal feminists were appreciative, forceful, strong, devoted, firm, sensitive, confident, patient, carefree, responsible, and independent.

Cultural, historical and psychoanalytic contributions to female identity in China: a discussion of articles by Tong Jun and Wang Qian

This article offers a discussion of two articles that are both considerations of the intersection of culture and the psyche. The development and conflicts within the Chinese woman's psyche are examined within the context of the history, values, and culture of China. This article considers the place of the powerful maternal imago in understanding the denigration of the feminine position. The presence of unconscious fantasy along with intergenerational trauma is examined, particularly in instances of misogyny. The contributions to the psychoanalytic theory of femininity and female development is reviewed with a discussion of clinical application.

A matripotência nos terreiros de candomblés pelas mãos das Makotas

This article is an excerpt from a doctoral research that aims to analyze the feminine in the candomblés of Angola in Brazil, specifically the feminine positions of Makotas. We will use as a theoretical framework authors whose work focuses on African ancestry, such as African Womanism, by Dove and Matripotência, by Oyěwùmí. In this sense, as a methodology we will adopt the everyday studies present in Alves and Caputo, as well as Alves' educational networks. It should be noted that this research is part of a decolonial and anti-racist epistemological movement.

Being and becoming a female student and worker in gendered processes of vocational education and training

ABSTRACT This article reports results of an ethnographic study of how girls are positioned, and position themselves, in relation to gender regimes in three vocational programmes in Swedish upper secondary education: Restaurant Management & Food, Health & Social Care, and Vehicle & Transport. The comparison shows that there are different possible feminine positions where the girls resist and comply to varying degrees both within and between the programmes, with expectations interrelated with discourses of consumption, caring and production. However, generally the position of emphasised femininity is most prominent and becoming a female worker in the programmes’ settings involves complying with feminine ideals of a caring discourse, regardless of whether the VET is oriented towards education for masculine production work, or feminine consumption work.

Gendered self-concept and gender as predictors of emotional intelligence: a comparison through of age

This study researched the relevance of gendered self-concept and gender as predictors of emotional intelligence in different age groups: adolescents, young adults and middle-aged. Study 1 analyzed the psychometric properties of the Positive-Negative Sex-Role Inventory introducing the Spanish version (PN-SRI-SP20). Study 2 analyzed the relationship between gendered self-concept, gender and age, a) We specifically examined differences by gender and age in gendered self-concept and EI and b) identified the predictive capacity of gendered self-concept and gender in emotional intelligence in three age groups. Results indicated that the PN-SRI-SP20 presents a factorial structure of 4 related factors (positive feminine, negative feminine, positive masculine and negative masculine), with adequate reliability, and is therefore an appropriate measure to evaluate this subject Both men and women maintain a traditional gendered self-concept, however, differences were found according to age. Gendered self-concept becomes more positive with age. As regards emotional intelligence, differences were also found among varoius age groups with the middle-aged group reaching higher scores. In addition, gendered self-concept was more relevant than gender in predicting emotional intelligence in all age groups. Emotional attention was predicted by feminine gendered self-concept but emotional clarity and repair by both feminine and masculine gendered self-concept. Gender was only relevant for emotional repair in the middle-aged group. We comment on the relevance of promoting feminine and masculine gendered self-concept in order to enhance emotional intelligence.

O esquecimento apresentado em o O feminino e o sagrado, de Julia Kristeva e Catherine Clément, como parte da construção da identidade feminina

A memória, por ser um processo que se constrói coletivamente, de acordo com Maurice Halbwachs (2006), pode ser usada na construção da identidade de determinados grupos. Tal construção representa pontos positivos, como a identificação com aspectos característicos das sociedades, porém, pode ser também prejudicial. Exemplo disso são as memórias de mulheres, principalmente aquelas periféricas, que estão com frequência à margem da sociedade. Dessa forma, o livro O feminino e o sagrado, de Julia Kristeva e Catherine Clément, apresenta situações em que é possível perceber um esquecimento em relação às posições femininas na sociedade, sobre a ótica dominadora, daqueles que detêm o poder de escolha para decidir qual memória será considerada oficial. Assim, é importante analisar tais imposições, uma vez que são prejudiciais e podem levar ao esquecimento de parte da memória cultural de um grupo.

Discursive representation of masculinity and femininity in Tinder and Grindr: Hegemonic masculinity, feminine devaluation and femmephobia

By analysing 200 Tinder profiles of Spanish heterosexual men and 200 Grindr profiles of Spanish queer men, this article examines these men’s online gendered and sexualised self-representation strategies. More specifically, the study develops a discourse and feminist analysis of post-feminist media cultures which contrasts these men’s discursive representations. In so doing, the article attempts to cast light on the (d-)evaluating discursive strategies these Spanish heterosexual and queer men deploy when creating their profiles. Importantly, the analysis gives evidence of how occupying the masculine or the feminine position goes hand in hand with the devaluation and policing of femininity. Furthermore, the analysis calls attention to the contradictory gender ideas present in their personal profiles and this, in turn, sheds further light on the ways they construct multiple masculine identities to negotiate their sexual gendered identities.