Gender Language Research Articles

Addressing Young Girls in STEM: Building Inclusion through Dialogicity. The Case of GoldieBlox

Abstract The number of women in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) is still limited compared to men, and one of the reasons for this is the lack of women’s sense of inclusion and belonging within engineering contexts. It has been argued that such a sense of inclusion and belonging might be developed by exposing girls to STEM with specific activities, games, and toys from a young age. This case study explores how the US toy manufacturer GoldieBlox Inc. addresses and includes young children, specifically girls, in the promotion of their products. GoldieBlox is a company that specifically targets girls to encourage their interest in STEM subjects, namely science, technology, and mathematics. Through a close reading and a qualitative analysis of the company’s webpages, this paper explores the links between consumerism, gender, belonging, and promotional language. Under the linguistic lens of dialogicity, I analyse how girls are addressed and included in STEM through the promotion of specific products.

NCMP-08. PRE-OPERATIVE AND INTRA-OPERATIVE RISK FACTORS OF POST-OPERATIVE CEREBELLAR MUTISM SYNDROME IN PEDIATRIC PATIENTS UNDERGOING POSTERIOR FOSSA TUMOR SURGERY: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW

Abstract INTRODUCTION Post-operative cerebellar mutism syndrome (pCMS) is a complication of surgical removal of posterior fossa tumors. The neurological and linguistic symptoms of pCMS may resolve in approximately 6 months, however, the children are vulnerable to the burden of significant long-term residual deficits. The current literature lacks a review of intraoperative and preoperative risk factors of postoperative pCMS. The authors addressed this issue by conducting a systematic review of studies investigating these risk factors in pediatric patients with posterior fossa tumors. METHODS The authors extracted potential citations from Google Scholar, PubMed, Scopus, and Cochrane. The eligible studies included pediatric patients less than 18 years of age, who were diagnosed with posterior fossa tumors and developed CMS following the posterior fossa tumor surgery. RESULTS A total of 64 studies involving 6,420 patients were included in this systematic review. The preoperative risk factors delineated in this review are oncological, tumor location, tumor extension, structural invasion, radiological predictors, preoperative hydrocephalus, age, gender, and pre-operative language impairment. Of these factors, a substantial number of studies reported histopathological diagnosis of medulloblastoma, high-grade tumor histology, and midline location of posterior fossa tumor as significant risk factors of pCMS. The intraoperative risk factors significantly associated with pCMS included vermis incision, superior cerebellar peduncle involvement, medulloblastoma diagnosis, and gross total tumor resection. Only a few studies identified protective factors that reduced the risk of developing pCMS. CONCLUSION In this systematic review, we have pooled all the available studies with extractable data to identify the intraoperative and preoperative risk factors of postoperative pCMS in pediatric patients undergoing surgery for posterior fossa tumors. This data can be utilized by healthcare professionals including neurosurgeons in identifying factors that compound the risk of postoperative pCMS and factors that have opposite effects on postoperative outcomes.

Intersectionality of gender with social determinants of health and asymptomatic Alzheimer's disease neuropathology.

Women comprise approximately two-thirds of Alzheimer's disease cases. This is the first known study to investigate the role of intersectionality between gender and other social determinants of health (SDOH) in the presentation of cognitive symptoms (i.e., being asymptomatic or symptomatic) among those with pathologically confirmed Alzheimer's disease. We studied 3107 individuals with Alzheimer's disease neuropathology (ADNP) confirmed at autopsy. Asymptomatic ADNP was defined as the absence of a clinical diagnosis of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or dementia before death (versus symptomatic: diagnosis of MCI/dementia). SDOH included gender, education, ethnoracial group, living alone, and primary language. Multivariable logistic regression tested associations between SDOH and asymptomatic ADNP (versus symptomatic); models were also stratified by gender. Women, Hispanics, those living alone, and more educated individuals were found to have higher odds of asymptomatic ADNP. Non-English speakers had lower odds of asymptomatic ADNP. Both women and men had higher odds of asymptomatic ADNP if Hispanic or living alone. In only women, non-English speakers had lower odds while in only men, more education was associated with higher odds of asymptomatic ADNP. Gender, education, ethnicity, primary language, and living alone, and intersectionality of gender with primary language, may differentially influence MCI and dementia diagnosis prior to death among those with underlying ADNP. These findings emphasize the need for future Alzheimer's disease research to prioritize social determinants of brain health including their intersectionality with gender and how to inform targeted interventions.

Data-driven prediction of early language delay at Youth Health Care Services in the Netherlands

Abstract Introduction Language development in early childhood significantly impacts future academic success, social interaction, and emotional well-being. This study aimed to develop and evaluate a prediction model using data on developmental milestones and parents’ socio-economic background known at age 2, and translate the results into an interactive digital dashboard and pilot it with Youth Health Care (YHC) professionals and parents. Methods A mixed-method study on retrospective cohort of children attending YHC at age 2, followed up until age 4. Data on language development, gender, parental education, and home language environment were obtained from YHC digital dossiers and linked to parental socio-economic status characteristics, and perinatal outcomes and healthcare costs using a secure remote access environment of Statistics Netherlands. Random forest and logistic regression models were computed with language development at age 4 as an outcome, initially using all available data at age 2 as predictors and then with a restricted model using variables readily available in YHC settings. Models performance was assessed using sensitivity, specificity, and AUC value. Results were visualized through an interactive dashboard and pilot-tested in simulated consultations. Results Among 9,148 children, 13.2% had language development delay at age 4. The full model had an AUC of 0.78, while the restricted model (gender, parental education, language environment, and language development), achieved an AUC of 0.77. YHC professionals and parents recognized the value of individualized, data-driven risk assessment for potential language delay to stimulate the discussion of preventive interventions. Conclusions A good quality prediction model for language development at age 4 can be derived from just a few background characteristics of the child and parents at age 2. The digital dashboard presents a practical approach of integrating prediction model results into daily YHC practice. Key messages • Language development at age of 4 can be predicted as early as age of 2 using just a few background characteristics of child and parents, which presents a window of opportunity for prevention. • The digital dashboard presents a practical approach of integrating prediction model results into preventive care practice.

Overcoming Sexist Gendered Language: Heteronormativity and Comfort with schwa-ending strategy in Italy

Overcoming Sexist Gendered Language: Heteronormativity and Comfort with schwa-ending strategy in Italy

Removing the Binary: An Exploration on the Impact Language has on Our Gender Perception

Language, as a reflection of societal values and beliefs, wields the power to shape perceptions of gender, often perpetuating a binary understanding through grammatical gender systems. The influence of the generic masculine and masculine norm within languages with dense grammatical gender reinforces this binary, marginalizing communities and centralizing power within the masculine form. Despite these challenges, endeavours towards gender neutrality within grammatical gender languages offer hope, particularly in their potential to benefit marginalized groups like the LGBTQ+ community. However, while recent advancements demonstrate potential for gender neutrality within language, the possibility of achieving a genuine ‘gender-free’ language remains a question, especially within grammatical gender languages and beyond. In order to begin answering this question, one needs to understand the concept of ‘gendered language’ and how it has impacted our perception of gender throughout history. It is also necessary to analyse how recent linguistic adjustments impact the LGBTQ+ community and the changes in attitudes towards non-binary spaces. By comparing attitudes towards gender in grammatical gender and genderless languages, we gain insight into the intricate relationship between language and societal norms. To do that one needs to look at the contemporary languages such as English, Spanish and Swedish, which are undergoing gender-neutral adaptations within the core lexicon and grammar. In addition to indigenous languages that have historically included a form of gender neutral language. In essence, this examination of language and gender dynamics offers the conclusion that it is possible to remove gender from language, yet cannot change the impact that gendered language has already had on society’s perception of gender.

Linguistic Hermeneutical Injustice

ABSTRACT Grammatical gender languages mark gender on every noun and agreement target such as adjectives and pronouns. While the norm for personal nouns provides that the term’s grammatical gender corresponds to its referent’s gender, in certain circumstances, a discrepancy arises between the term and its referent’s gender. Taking Italian as a case study, I identify four such circumstances: reference to non-binary people, women and non-binary professionals in traditionally male-dominated fields, generic or unknown individuals and mixed-gender groups. Among these, I distinguish between usage discrepancies, which depend on how speakers (mis)use language, and structural discrepancies, which depend on structural features of the language. The latter is the case for reference to non-binary people as Italian lacks a grammatical gender corresponding to non-binary gender identities. I focus on this case and argue that it conveys a problematic representation of gender, giving rise to a specific instance of hermeneutical injustice: structural discrepancies depend on a gap in collective interpretative resources (namely, the lack of an appropriate grammatical gender) and put non-binary people at an unfair disadvantage in making sense of their social experiences. As I show, the effects of structural discrepancies possess all the hallmarks of hermeneutical injustice.

Grammatical gender universalities underlying uniform mental representations of the world: Myth or reality?

The subject of grammatical gender and cognition has been continuously examined in psycholinguistics, wherein findings show essential support for gender congruency effects, suggesting that grammar lends matrices for speakers’ mental representations. Based on these psycholinguistic data, this study offers an innovative vista of investigation that combines typological and cognitive linguistic approaches. Its purpose lies in determining whether grammatical gender patterns sanction cross-linguistic universality in conceptualising entities as male or female, and whether grammatical gender universalities have semantic motivation. This research reveals universal tendencies in grammatical gender affiliation of the analysed nouns in 32 two and three gender languages belonging to different groups of the Indo-European, Indo-Iranian and Afro-Asiatic language families. From a cognitive perspective, these findings testify to the identical mental images of the entities denoting artefacts, natural phenomena and abstract concepts in speakers of the languages under consideration. Furthermore, grammatical gender universalities manifest certain semantic dimensions involving the motives associated with masculine or feminine and symbolic suggestions of the Woman archetype. As per the data from cognitive poetics, grammatical gender universalities become objects of special stylistic choices emerging as personified images of symbolic relevance in gender and non-gender languages.

Longitudinal Analysis of Hispanic Literacy Development in the Southwestern US: Addressing the Fourth-Grade Slump and Corresponding Matthew Effect

Hispanic literacy development in the Southwestern US is examined through standardized assessment data derived from recent National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) and Texas Academic Performance Reports (TAPR). This longitudinal study focuses on significant variables across a spectrum of grade levels for Hispanics of Mexican descent. Results confirm a steady decline in reading performance after 4th grade. At the secondary level, a corresponding Matthew effect is also detected—whereby students whose reading development begins to decline in 4th grade continues to decline in secondary grades. Socioeconomic status (SES), gender, and bilingual language development are correlated as mitigating factors for reading performance. Hispanic students who attended a slightly more affluent and racially diverse high school showed moderately better reading scores. Hispanic males with low SES should be seen as most at-risk for reading failure in this region. Recommendations for alleviating these developmental literacy challenges include a more systematic implementation of Science of Teaching Reading (STR) at the earlier grade levels and raising awareness about gender differences in reading instruction. Parents, educators, and administrators interested in Hispanic reading development should find this study informative.

A topic model analysis of students' gendered expectations using surveyed critiques of lecturers

Student evaluations of teaching (SET) have been examined over the years to better understand the student experience, with an increasing portion of literature exploring the presence of implicit bias in SET surveys against minority gender and ethnic lecturers. This study explores free-text comments made by students from a large public university in Australia over the period 2010–2016, using a semi-supervised statistical approach. Data were collected via surveys administered online at the end of each course to every student officially enrolled in that course via the learning management system, and completion of the surveys was voluntary. We build a probabilistic topic model which incorporates student and lecturer characteristics into the topic formation process. We make statistical inference on the effects of gender and cultural or language backgrounds based on the topic and word prevalence probabilities. The results showed clear separation of topics discussed between male and female lecturers. From a gendered perspective, our topic analyses have found that students are significantly more likely to critique female lecturers to improve on structural aspects of the course, as well as aspects of time management and control of the lecturing environment. In comparison, male lecturers were significantly more likely to be critiqued on specific aspects related to lecture delivery. Lecturers from non-English speaking backgrounds were more likely to be both critiqued and praised for the clarity of their delivery.

English digital reading achievement for East Asian students: identifying the key predictors using a machine learning approach

ABSTRACT Students’ digital reading literacy has attracted increasing attention in the current digital era; however, few studies have been conducted to explore how factors at different levels influence students’ digital reading achievement. Grounded by socio-ecological theory, the current comprehensively explored the relative importance of 24 individual, microsystem, and mesosystem variables in predicting English digital reading achievement through the machine learning approach (i.e. random forest regression). The secondary data were retrieved from the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2018, including 7,703 15-year-old students from Macao, Hong Kong, and Singapore. Our study identified 12 key factors that best predicted East Asian students’ English digital reading achievement. Among them, students’ socioeconomic status, subject-related ICT use during lessons, and interest in ICT ranked as the top three factors. The disparities in the roles played by disciplinary climate, gender, being bullied, immigrant status, and home language among the three economies were discussed.

Embracing the Jewess: Reading Gender and Ethnicity in Judith with the Belle Juive

Abstract In this article, I explore the intersections of gender and ethnic categories in the book of Judith. The entire book—titled after a character whose name means “Jewess”—is suffused with commentary on both Judith’s womanhood and her Jewish identity. Here, I focus on chapters 10, 11, 12, and 14 of the book, which contain the language of both gender and ethnicity. Judith’s Jewish identity is discussed in the same breath as her gender and beauty, presenting an opportunity to examine how the categories of womanhood and Jewishness are invoked and how they complicate one another. This article will use the figure of the belle Juive, or “beautiful Jewess,” to discuss how gender and Jewishness interact in Judith. I will discuss how the conversations between Judith and the Assyrians play with assumptions the Assyrians have about women and Jews, and how meeting Judith shapes the Assyrians’ ideas about the rest of her people. We can read this encounter as engineered by the character of Judith, with attention to the complicated dynamics of gender and national identity, to produce exactly the result she gets: an Assyrian army and general that unwittingly hands her the power to achieve her goal.

Factors contributing to gender differences in language use during Bukusu marriage ceremonies in Bungoma County

This study sought to examine the factors contributing to gender differences in language use during Bukusu marriage ceremonies in Bungoma County. Discursive practices provide context through which language is used. Some of the cultural practices, such as Bukusu customary marriages, which provide context for language use, more often than not perpetuate gender differences in language. Purposive sampling was used to select 40 respondents in four marriage ceremonies. Data was collected from all four key stages of a Bukusu marriage ceremony on a cross-sectional basis. Data was collected through direct observations during marriage ceremonies, in-depth interviews with respondents, and focus group discussions. The study was informed by Ruth Wodak’s Discourse-Historical Approach (DHA). The data was translated, transcribed and analysed to identify the factors behind gender differences in language use. The findings indicate that gender differences in language use during Bukusu customary marriage ceremonies in the Kimilili sub-county are shaped by societal expectations, cultural heritage, traditional gender roles, socialisation and gendered power dynamics. The study is important as it explores gendered language in Bukusu marriage ceremonies, shedding light on how language reinforces gender norms. It will fill a research gap and contribute to promoting gender equality by informing strategies for inclusive language use in various settings.

Gendered language and gendered violence

This study establishes the influence of sex-based grammatical gender on gendered violence. We demonstrate a statistically significant relationship between speaking a gendered language and the incidence of intimate partner violence in a cross-section of countries. Motivated by this evidence, we conduct an individual-level analysis of the effect of speaking a gendered language on beliefs about the justifiability of intimate partner violence, controlling for a wide variety of individual level socioeconomic characteristics as well as country, religion, language family and ethnicity fixed effects. Speaking a gendered language is associated with the belief that intimate partner violence is justifiable. Our results are consistent with complementarity between the cultural and cognitive effects of language on the attitudes to intimate partner violence.

Gender, germs, and governors: political masculinities and leadership in the US during the COVID-19 pandemic

This article describes how the concept of political masculinities helps explain public responses to US governors’ COVID-19 policies. We draw upon governors’ approval ratings, using a paired comparison of similar states with male and female governors, illustrating these findings with examples of citizens’ opinions on governors’ performance from local newspapers and social media. While the approval ratings data suggest citizens made few gender-based distinctions when appraising their governors’ performance, our media analysis shows citizens used gendered language to describe their governors’ leadership skills, evaluating governors during COVID-19 on stereotypically masculine traits. Also, regarding the “male-as-protector” element of normative political masculinity, both the approval ratings and local media data show that citizens held male—but not female—governors responsible for increased COVID-19 rates. These findings suggest that US citizens continued to regard their male and female governors through the lens of traditional (normative) political masculinities during the pandemic’s first year.

An Analysis of Men’s Language Features of an Dark Action Comedy on Prime Video

The purpose of the research titled "An Analysis of Gender in Language of a Dark Action Comedy on Prime Video" is to identify gendered language features applied in the series The data was collected using documentation method and was analyzed using qualitative method based on Jennifer Coates of men's language features as applied to the characters in the series "The Boys" episode 1 on Amazon Prime. The research identified several language features, including order versus proposal, swearing and taboo language, and interruptions, applied to the characters in the series. The main characters, Hughie and Hugh Campbell Sr., predominantly exhibited these features. Hughie used direct forms of address, swear words, and interruptions in his speech. Other characters in the series also displayed men's language features and differences in their language use.

'The Naked Truth' about degendering

In West Coast Swing (WCS) dancing, traditionally only men were permitted to lead and women to follow; however, since 2014 the degendering movement has sought to enable all dancers to participate in their preferred role and to remove gendered language from the discourse around leading and following. As part of a larger linguistic ethnography exploring (de)gendered language use in WCS contexts across Central Canada and the US Northeast and Midwest, this case study explores patterns of and factors contributing to the use and avoidance of gendered language in The Naked Truth, a podcast created by and for the WCS community. While the podcast hosts use the degendered terms ‘leader’ and ‘follower’, their differing but continued use of heteronormatively gendered pronouns in coreference with these neutral terms suggests that the speakers’ mental models remain gendered and that there is a continued need for representation of individuals dancing in nonheteronormative roles.

Perception of Femininity and Masculinity in Voices as Rated by Transgender and Gender Diverse People, Professional Speech and Language Pathologists, and Cisgender Naive Listeners

OBJECTIVETo explore whether cisgender naive listeners, transgender and gender diverse (TGD) listeners, and speech-language pathologists (SLPs) experienced in providing gender-affirming voice training differ in their perception of femininity and masculinity in voices. METHODSSamples of spontaneous speech were collected from 95 cisgender, and 37 TGD speakers. Three listener groups of cisgender naive (N=77), TGD (N=30), and SLP (N=14) listeners, respectively, rated the voices on visual analogue scales in two randomly ordered blocks, in which the perceived degree of femininity was rated separately from the perceived degree of masculinity. RESULTSThe three listener groups showed similar patterns in their distribution of ratings on the femininity and masculinity scales. The TGD listeners’ mean ratings did not differ from the cisgender naive listeners’ whereas SLPs showed a small, but significant, difference in their ratings compared to both TGD and cisgender naive listeners and rated the voices lower on both the femininity and masculinity scales. CONCLUSIONThe results differ from previous studies as TGD, and cisgender naive listeners rated the voices very similarly. The lower ratings of femininity and masculinity by the SLPs were likely influenced by their awareness of the complexity in the perception of voices. Therefore, SLPs providing gender-affirming voice training should be attentive to how their professional training may influence their perception of femininity and masculinity in voices and encourage discussions and explorations of the TGD voice client’s perceptions of voices.

School placement trajectories of students with special educational needs—A longitudinal analysis of administrative data

AbstractSchool transfers may be particularly challenging for students with special educational needs (SEN), and may negatively impact academic and social outcomes for these students. In countries with multiple placement options for students with SEN, although transfers between different types of placements are plausible, studies on this phenomenon are rare. The current study investigates individual placement trajectories over 11 years of compulsory education, using administrative data from a Swiss canton (i.e. federal state) about students with intensive SEN support. We employed sequence analysis to describe individual characteristics of placement trajectories (type of placements attended, number and timing of transfers), and to identify typical placement trajectories. Findings indicate that students with SEN experience frequent placement transfers, however, high variability between individual placement trajectories exists. Four clusters representing typical placement trajectories emerged. The clusters differed in the placements predominately attended by students, the number of transfers experienced, as well as in the distribution of students' age, gender and first language. These differences may reflect variations between clusters in the type and severity of students' SEN. Our study results underscore the importance of understanding the dynamics of placement trajectories for students with SEN, contributing valuable insights into the complexities of their educational journeys.

Impact of Demographics on Regional Visual Field Loss and Deterioration in Glaucoma.

To elucidate the impact of demographics, including gender, race, ethnicity, and preferred language, on regional visual field (VF) loss and progression in glaucoma. Multivariable linear mixed regressions were performed to determine the impact of race, ethnicity, and preferred language on regional VF loss with adjustment for age and gender. Regional VF loss was defined by pointwise total deviation values and VF loss patterns quantified by an unsupervised machine learning method termed archetypal analysis. All cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses were performed both without and with adjustment for VF mean deviation, which represented overall VF loss severity. P values were corrected for multiple comparisons. All results mentioned had corrected P values less than 0.05. Asian and Black patients showed worse pointwise VF loss than White patients with superior hemifield more affected. Patients with a preferred language other than English demonstrated worse pointwise VF loss than patients with English as their preferred language. Longitudinal analyses revealed Black patients showed worse VF loss/year compared to White patients. Patients with a preferred language other than English demonstrated worse VF loss/year compared to patients preferring English. Blacks and non-English speakers have more severe VF loss, with superior hemifield being more affected and faster VF worsening. This study furthered our understanding of racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic disparities in glaucoma outcomes. Understanding the VF loss burden in different racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic groups may guide more effective glaucoma screening and community outreach efforts. This research could help reduce vision loss and improve quality of life in disproportionately affected populations by guiding public health efforts to promote glaucoma awareness and access to care.