Social Gender Identity Research Articles

Amy Barbour: Biography as Scholarly Self-Fashioning

Amy Barbour (PhD Yale, 1902) was one of the first women to receive a PhD in Classics in the United States. This essay describes how Barbour’s social context, gender, and national identity inflected her engagement with transatlantic intellectual trends. A biographical sketch culminating with Barbour’s career at Smith College as Professor of Ancient Greek is followed by a description of her academic achievements in the light of contemporary disciplinary anxiety and the use of biography as a scholarly tool. This two-pronged approach complements the valuable body of scholarship on North American women Classicists, which has focused more on those women’s life-stories than their research. Some thoughts are offered on contemporary applications of biography in the study of classical scholarship, including this one.

A systematic review of social camouflaging in autistic adults and youth: Implications and theory.

Social camouflaging (SC) is a set of behaviors used by autistic people to assimilate with their social environment. Using SC behaviours may put autistic people at risk for poor mental health outcomes. Following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines, the goal of this systematic review was to investigate the development of SC and inform theory in this area by outlining the predictors, phenotype, and consequences of SC. This review fills a gap in existing literature by integrating quantitative and qualitative methodologies, including all gender identities/age groups of autistic individuals, incorporating a large scope of associated factors with SC, and expanding on theory/implications. Papers were sourced using Medline, PsycInfo, and ERIC. Results indicate that self-protection and desire for social connection motivate SC. Camouflaging behaviors include compensation, masking, and assimilation. Female individuals were found to be more likely to SC. Additionally, this review yielded novel insights including contextual factors of SC, interpersonal relational and identity-related consequences of SC, and possible bidirectional associations between SC and mental health, cognition, and age of diagnosis. Autistic youth and adults have similar SC motivations, outward expression of SC behavior, and experience similar consequences post-camouflaging. Further empirical exploration is needed to investigate the directionality between predictors and consequences of SC, and possible mitigating factors such as social stigma and gender identity.

Social distancing stress, anxiety/depression, COVID-19 diagnosis, gender identity, and immigration status

BackgroundStrict social distancing public health measures to decrease COVID-19 spread increased social distancing stress. However, differences in social distancing stress by anxiety/depression symptoms are understudied, especially based on COVID-19 diagnosis status, gender identity, and immigration status. We examined whether the association between social distancing stress and anxiety/depression symptoms was moderated by COVID-19 diagnosis status, gender identity, and immigration status. We further examined the associations of social distancing stress with anxiety/depression symptoms, gender identity, and immigration status among individuals with and without COVID-19.MethodsWe utilized data from a national cross-sectional survey among adults aged ≥ 18 years in the United States between May 13, 2021, and January 9, 2022 (n = 5,255). Multivariable logistic regression models were used to examine the associations.ResultsThe prevalence of social distancing stress was higher among individuals with COVID-19 (79.23%) than among those without COVID-19 (67.51%). We observed significant associations between social distancing stress and anxiety/depression symptoms, moderated by COVID-19 diagnosis status, immigration status, and gender identity, respectively. Anxiety/depression symptoms were associated with social distancing stress among both individuals with and without COVID-19. Gender identity and immigration status were associated with social distancing stress among only individuals without COVID-19.ConclusionsOur findings revealed that the association between social distancing stress and anxiety/depression varied by COVID-19 diagnosis status, gender identity, and immigration status. The findings underscore the need for more targeted psychological distress strategies to reduce social distancing stress and anxiety/depression among diverse US populations, while considering the impacts of COVID-19 diagnosis status, gender identity, and immigration status.

Love after lockup: examining the role of marriage, social status, and financial stress among formerly incarcerated individuals

BackgroundUpon reintegration into society, formerly incarcerated individuals (FIIs) experience chronic financial stress due to prolonged unemployment, strained social relationships, and financial obligations. This study examined whether marriage and perceived social status can mitigate financial stress, which is deleterious to the well-being of FIIs. We also assessed whether sociodemographic factors influenced financial stress across marital status. We used cross-sectional data from 588 FIIs, collected in the 2023 Survey of Racism and Public Health. The financial stress outcome (Cronbach’s α\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$\\mathrm{\\alpha }$$\\end{document} = 0.86) comprised of five constructs: psychological distress, financial anxiety, job insecurity, life satisfaction, and financial well-being. Independent variables included marital and social status, age, race/ethnicity, gender identity, educational attainment, employment status, and number of dependents. Multivariable models tested whether financial stress levels differed by marital and perceived social status (individual and interaction effects). Stratified multivariable models assessed whether social status and sociodemographic associations varied by marital status.ResultsWe found that being married/living with a partner (M/LWP, b = -5.2) or having higher social status (b = -2.4) were protective against financial stress. Additionally, the social status effect was more protective among divorced, separated, or widowed participants (b = -2.5) compared to never married (NM, b = -2.2) and M/LWP (b = -1.7) participants. Lower financial stress correlated with Black race and older age, with the age effect being more pronounced among M/LWP participants (b = -9.7) compared to NM participants (b = -7.3). Higher financial stress was associated with woman gender identity (overall sample b = 2.9, NM sample b = 5.1), higher education (M/LWP sample b = 4.4), and having two or more dependents (overall sample b = 2.3, M/LWP sample b = 3.4).ConclusionsWe provide novel insights into the interrelationship between marriage, perceived social status, and financial stress among FIIs. Our findings indicate the need for policies and programs which may target the family unit, and not only the individual, to help alleviate the financial burden of FIIs. Finally, programs that offer legal aid to assist in expungement or sealing of criminal records or those offering opportunities for community volunteer work in exchange for vouchers specific to legal debt among FIIs could serve to reduce financial stress and improve social standing.

LGBTQIA+ vs the Brazilian Unified Health System: Basic Health Unit Use and Associated Factors

ABSTRACT The Brazilian Unified Health System provides universal health care access without regard to sexual orientation and gender identity. We conducted a nationwide study with a cross-sectional design and intentional sampling methods to investigate factors associated with Basic Health Unit (BHU) use by the LGBTQIA+ community. Data were collected via a questionnaire available through social networks. Statistical analysis included Poisson regression with robust variance. A total of 603 LGBTQIA+ community members participated in the study, of whom 417 (69.2%) had visited a BHU in the last year. The factors “transgender woman” and “self-rated health status as very good/good/fair” increased the probability of BHU use in the last year by 10% (PR: 1.10; 95% CI: 1.00–1.20) and 9% (PR = 1.09; 95% CI: 1.01–1.18), respectively. “Not suffering sexual orientation-related discrimination at a BHU” and “Not suffering discrimination by a receptionist or waiting room worker” increased the probability of use by 28% (PR = 1.28; 95% CI: 1.22–1.34) and 22% (PR = 1.22; 95% CI: 1.14–1.30), respectively. Our study supports evidence that access to primary health care services in Brazil can be influenced by the social determinants gender identity and sexual discrimination.

Gendered Tourism: Moroccan Female Workers in The Local Tourism Industry

This study analyzes the influence of tourism development on the lives of Moroccan women employed in tourist accommodation venues in the town of Erfoud in southern Moroccan. The investigation considers both the economic advantages of women's involvement in tourism and the cultural and religious implications of such participation on the lives of these predominantly illiterate women. The study adopts an ethnographic method and argues that while employment in the tourism and hospitality industry undoubtfully brings financial benefits to an otherwise impoverished region, it fails to improve the social status or gender relations and identities of the women. It is found that these are worsened in many cases since working in tourism presupposes that the women maintain sexual relations with their male coworkers.

Savęs atstovavimas moterų lyderystėje STEAM srityse Lietuvoje: diskursas, lyties tapatybė ir vaidmenų suderinamumas

Science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics (STEAM) are fields substantially crucial for innovation and development. Nevertheless, the gender gap in these areas is significant also in European countries. Considering the underrepresentation of STEAM women’s leadership, we provide insight into the common characteristics that led Lithuanian women to become referents in their fields. We identify elements of leadership in discursive social representations, professional ideologies, gender identity and role congruency in connection to power structures from a gender perspective within organisations, considering the mediations of the social context. We conducted the research in two phases: an online questionnaire and in-depth interviews. We performed a critical discourse analysis of Lithuanian Women’s testimonies to understand gender social representations. Parenthood highly influences building leadership and choosing STEAM careers, whereas self-efficacy and creativity are essential elements. High co-responsibility at home confirms that family context is vital. In STEAM careers, a male-centric perspective still constrains female leadership. There is still work to be done regarding active politics, programs, and law enforcement to create equity and social justice relationships between men and females, especially in STEAM areas.

Analysis of Social Media Use, Mental Health, and Gender Identity Among US Youths

Mental health among children and adolescents is a critical public health issue, and transgender and gender nonbinary youths are at an even greater risk. Social media has been consistently associated with youth mental health, but little is known about how gender identity interacts with this association. To use a risk and resilience approach to examine the association between social media use and mental health among transgender, gender nonbinary, and cisgender youths. This cross-sectional study analyzed data collected from an online survey between May and August 2021. Participants included a random sample of US youths; eligibility requirements included being aged 10 to 17 years and residing in the US. Statistical analysis was performed from February to April 2022. Social media use (time, type of use, favorite site, social comparisons, mindfulness, taking intentional breaks, cleaning and curating feeds, problematic use, and media literacy programs at their school) and mental health (depression, emotional problems, conduct problems, and body image) as main outcomes. Participants included 1231 youths aged 10 to 17 years from a national quota sample from the United States; 675 (54.8%) identified as cisgender female, 479 (38.9%) as cisgender male, and 77 (6.3%) as transgender, gender nonbinary, or other; 4 (0.3%) identified as American Indian or Alaska Native, 111 (9.0%) as Asian, 185 (15.0%) as Black, 186 (15.1%) as Hispanic or Latinx, 1 (0.1%) as Pacific Islander, 703 (57.1%) as White, and 41 (3.3%) as mixed and/or another race or ethnicity. Gender identity moderated both the strength and the direction of multiple associations between social media practices and mental health: active social media use (eg, emotional problems: B = 1.82; 95% CI, 0.16 to 3.49; P = .03), cleaning and/or curating social media feeds (eg, depression: B = -0.91; 95% CI, -1.98 to -0.09; P = .03), and taking intentional breaks (eg, depression: B = 1.03; 95% CI, 0.14 to 1.92; P = .02). In this cross-sectional study of gender identity, social media, and mental health, gender identity was associated with youths' experiences of social media in ways that may have distinct implications for mental health. These results suggest that research about social media effects on youths should attend to gender identity; directing children and adolescents to spend less time on social media may backfire for those transgender and gender nonbinary youths who are intentional about creating safe spaces on social media that may not exist in their offline world.

(282) Proposal to amend Article 60 Note 4 by specifying possible options of the grammatical gender and number of epithets honouring certain non‐binary persons

Article 60.8 of the International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants (Turland & al. in Regnum Veg. 159. 2018) explains the terminations of specific and infraspecific epithets derived from personal names; in particular, the grammatical gender-determined terminations applied depending on the gender of a person. However, the epithets mentioned in this Article refer only to persons of either the male or female gender. I consider such an approach as not covering all currently recognized gender identities. In particular, it does not take into account non-binary people whose gender identities are beyond the binary gender system (e.g. Matsuno & Budge in Curr. Sex. Health Rep. 9: 116–120. 2017; see also https://nonbinary.wiki/wiki/Main_Page, accessed 22 Mar 2023). Non-binary (also nonbinary) is an umbrella term encompassing several categories of social gender identities falling outside the traditional sociobiological binary gender framework, including persons whose gender identity falls between or outside the basic biological male and female identities, persons who experience being male or female at separate times, and persons who do not experience having a gender identity or reject having a gender identity. It is advisable to use people's preferred pronouns and grammatical gender identifiers (in addition to names and terms for gender). For example, some non-binary people use they/their/them/themselves in singular or have explicitly developed neutral pronouns (also sometimes termed neopronouns), such as xe/xyr/xem/xyrself or ze/zir/zem/zirs, rather than he/his/him/himself or she/her/her/herself (Richards & al. in Int. Rev. Psychiatry 28: 95–102. 2016; Hekanaho in Neuphilol. Mitteilungen 121: 498–509. 2020). The first person in Australia in 2003 and the first person in the United States in 2016 obtained legal recognition of their non-binary gender. Therefore, I propose to amend Art. 60 Note 4. “Note 4. If the gender and/or number of a substantival epithet derived from a personal name is/are inappropriate for the gender and/or number of the person(s) whom the name commemorates, the termination is to be corrected in conformity with Art. 60.8. However, the grammatical gender used for a person whom the epithet commemorates may be determined by the preferred gender identity of that person. Also, an epithet honouring a non-binary person in some cases may be created by adding -iorum, -iarum, or another indicator of grammatical plurality.” The proposed amendment will not affect the stability of existing nomenclature but will provide for the future an option of forming epithets of scientific names of organisms with due consideration of the gender identities and rights of non-binary people. I am grateful to Nicholas J. Turland (Botanischer Garten und Botanisches Museum Berlin, Freie Universität Berlin, Germany) and John H. Wiersema (Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., U.S.A.) for their useful comments and editing. Sergei L. Mosyakin (M.G. Kholodny Institute of Botany, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Kyiv, Ukraine) also provided his comments and advice.

Intersectionality and Gendered Criminal Justice in South Asia: The Case of Pakistan

This study analyses intersectional perspective in relation to criminal legal justice in Pakistani society - a South Asian country with more than 220 million population. By drawing on insights from the women inmates and a criminal lawyer through qualitative interviews, the study probed the encounters of these women with criminal legal system and society. These women were incarcerated in drug-related offenses, murder, injury, and sex work. The study has found that social status identity (e.g., education and income), religious and gender identity of the women inmates experience the negative stereotyping, inadequate legal support, and discrimination in men’s dominated criminal justice system of Pakistan. The religious identity of the women inmates further overlaps in the legal system which can increase their vulnerability for discrimination in the criminal law that specifically deals with drug-related offenses. In relation to gender, women prisoners who are young and mothers with children allegedly incarcerated in murder were more vulnerable to patriarchal biasness and barriers of reintegration into family and community. The study has suggested skill-based education, establishment of free legal and reintegration service and oversight of police officials who register criminal cases against women offenders to prevent their religious and gender-based biasness while registering such cases.

TEXTILE TECHNOLOGY OF MEITEI COMMUNITY AND ITS ASSOCIATED BELIEF SYSTEMS

The present paper aims to understand the textile tradition in relation to its technology and associated beliefs of the Meitei community of Manipur. Technology not only means understanding raw materials, tools/implements, and processes of the technological system, but it also incorporates the psyche of the craftsmen and cultural values. Textile carries the cultural knowledge and ideological perception embedded in the community's social, economic, and political structures. Moreover, the tangible and intangible dimensions of technology reflect the collective Meitei folklife. Meitei traditional technology shapes not only the communal identity but also holds their social norms, values, belief systems, and gender identity. An account of ethnographic study has been approached to understand the values, norms, beliefs, and worldview of the Meitei community employing various tools and methods like an interview, focus group, and observation method. Therefore, the paper tries to study textile technology to understand the community's cultural expressive behavior.

Mental models reveal diverse perspectives on marine resources management across racial/ethnic and gender social identities

AbstractAs marine resource management fields continue to move toward more inclusive and collaborative processes, it is important to also examine the value of promoting the diverse perspectives of scientists and managers from different backgrounds throughout the decision‐making process. An important objective of diversity initiatives is to acknowledge the value of diversity while providing opportunities to increase the representation of diverse communities in professional settings. However, focusing on diversity only at the surface can potentially overshadow benefits existing at a deeper level. This study used a mental model approach to explore the potential value of racial/ethnic and gender diversity in marine and fisheries science professions from a cognitive deep‐level diversity perspective. The study included 112 participants across gender, who self‐identified as one of the following racial/ethnic social identity groups: Black/African American, Latino/Hispanic, Multiracial, White, Asian/Asian American or /Pacific Islander, American Indian or/ Alaska Natives. Results revealed differences in how members of underrepresented groups and white men incorporated concepts associated with diversity into their mental models and distinctions in how racial/ethnic and gender social identity groups organized similar concepts within their mental model structures. These findings on diverse perspectives related to marine resources management across social identity groups, highlight the value of understanding diversity beyond just a numerical or surface level and the utility of incorporating deep‐level diversity in the management and decision‐making process.

Structural and school factors, affirmation and well-being among gender minority youth across Europe

Abstract Background Previous research has shown that structural-level factors (discriminatory laws and policies) result in impaired health and well-being for transgender and gender diverse (TGD) adults. This study aims to assess if structural stigma is associated with school bullying/victimization and well-being among TGD youth and if more LGBTI supportive school environments, as well as social, physical, and legal gender identity affirmation ameliorate the effects of both structural stigma and experiencing violence. Methods The study was conducted online in 2019 in 27 EU Member States and in the UK. We analyzed data from TGD students, aged 15 to 24 years, who at most had completed lower secondary education (n = 2,714). Well-being indicators used in the analyses included one-item measures of life satisfaction, depression, and considering leaving or changing school. Results School environment, but not structural-level stigma, was associated with school bullying/victimization. Similarly, the effects of structural-level stigma, along with physical and legal gender identity affirmation were inconsistently related to students’ well-being across the multilevel models, whereas a more positive school environment and especially experiences of social identity affirmation were related to greater life satisfaction, better mental health, and lower odds of considering leaving or changing school; even though the negative effects of school bullying/victimization remained statistically significant across all models. Conclusions This study's results suggest that compared with distal factors, more proximal factors - better school environment and social identity affirmation - have a greater impact on TGD students’ well-being. Given the inconsistency of our findings, more research is needed to understand the role of structural stigma and legal and physical gender identity affirmation in TGD students’ well-being.

‘New’ terrains of precarity – gig work in India

ABSTRACT Gig work has been considered ‘disruptive’ by platforms for its market efficiency, but concerns around precarity of work in the Global North have been raised since the early 2000s. In India, the dominance of informal work makes precarious work the norm, thus begging the question, does gig work disrupt or extend this precarity in new directions? Based on in-depth interviews with gig workers in India, this paper explores the relations between the informal economy and platform-based gig work in India with a focus on the experiences of workers. The paper argues that, much like informal work, gig workers bear a disproportionate risk, with their work regulated by social identities of caste and gender that determine entry and exit from work. The digital mediation of work in the gig economy extends such existing social relations of informal work into gig work, especially as labour remains deregulated by the Indian state. Through this, India points us in the direction of what the future of work may be for workers in a global digitised gig economy where such precarious and insecure work is now increasingly entrenched.

КУЛЬТУРА ОТКРЫТОГО ЗНАНИЯ В АНГЛИИ РАННЕГО НОВОГО ВРЕМЕНИ: "ПОП-НАУКА" И ВЕСЕЛЯЩИЙ ГАЗ

The article is devoted to the culture of open knowledge and the phenomenon of the popular science, which arises and develops in Modern period. Based on the caricature of J. Gilray, depicting the public lecture in 1802 at the Royal Tnstitution on the characteristics of laughing gas, the stategies and modes of openness of knowledge, as well as the reaction of the public to the scientific show, are analyzed. The etching depicts an audience that is diverse in social origin, professions, and gender identity. Popular science, despite its shortcomings, instills confidence in scientific knowledge, the desire not only to use the results of scientific research, but also to engage in them. The representation of the research environment, scientists, scientific knowledge and practices in the field of artistic culture is also a marker of the openness and accessibility of scientific knowledge, the degree of trust in scientific institutions and scientists, which is an important component of the culture of knowledge.

A hundred years of debates on sex differences: Developing research for social change

After women secured the right to vote some hundred years ago, the assertions about their innate inferiority gradually began to vanish, giving way to theories about the countless aspects which apparently differentiated them from men. In this paper, we follow the evolution of research on sex differences, starting with the work of the first female psychologists who questioned the theories that justified women’s subordinate positions in society. We trace the main developments of the studies on sex differences, their relationship with social roles, gender stereotypes, and gender identity, and describe the strategies used to highlight the role of society rather than of biology in shaping men and women’s personalities and behaviors. We describe the controversies this area of research gave rise to, the debates over its political implications, and the changes observed over time in women’s social positions and within research perspectives. Finally, we discuss the mutually reinforcing effects of social organization and lay conceptions of gender and reflect on how the field of research on sex differences has contributed to building a fairer society.

Intersectionality and heart failure: what clinicians and researchers should know and do.

To review the application of intersectionality to heart failure. Intersectionality refers to the complex ways in which disenfranchisement and privilege intersect to reproduce and influence health and social outcomes. Intersectionality challenges approaches that focus on a single or small number of socio-demographic characteristics, such as sex or age. Instead, approaches should take account of the nature and effects of a full range of socio-demographic factors linked to privilege, including: race and ethnicity, social class, income, age, gender identity, disability, geography, and immigration status. Although credible and well established across many fields - there is limited recognition of the effects of intersectionality in research into heart disease, including heart failure. This deficiency is important because heart failure remains a common and burdensome syndrome that requires complex pharmacological and nonpharmacological care and collaboration between health professionals, patients and caregivers during and at the end-of-life. Approaches to heart failure clinical care should recognize more fully the nature and impact of patients' intersectionality- and how multiple factors interact and compound to influence patients and their caregivers' behaviours and health outcomes. Future research should explicate the ways in which multiple factors interact to influence health outcomes.

Lizzie, Mamie, & Mo’ne

This paper considers intersectional social identities of race, class, and gender through an examination of women in baseball from the late 1800s to today. At its core, the article revolves around a fictional character named Lizzie Bright Griffin from Gary Schmidt’s (2004) adolescent novel Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy while interweaving dynamic historic and contemporary baseball figures, including Mamie “Peanut” Johnson and Mo’ne Davis, ultimately inviting readers to consider what it would mean for a new generation of young women to overcome racial prejudice, class differences, and gender discrimination to find opportunity and success in the game of baseball.

COVID-19 and the need for disability conscious medical education, training, and practice.

The COVID-19 era exposes what was already a crisis in the medical profession: structural racism, ageism, sexism, classism, and ableism resulting in healthcare disparities for Persons with Disabilities (PWD). Early research highlights these disparities, but we do not yet know the full impact of this pandemic on PWD. Over the last 20 years, many medical schools have attempted to develop disability competency trainings, but discrimination and inequities remain, resulting in a pervasive distrust of medicine by the disability community at large. In this commentary, we suggest that disability competency is insufficient because the healthcare disparities experienced by PWD are not simply a matter of individual biases, but structural and systemic factors requiring a culture shift in the healthcare professions. Recognizing that disability is a form of diversity that is experienced alongside other systemic disadvantages like social class, race, age, sex, gender identity, and geographic location, we explore the transformative potential of disability conscious medical education, training, and practice that draws on insights from intersectional disability justice activism. Disability conscious medicine is a novel approach, which improves upon competency programs by utilizing disability studies and the principles of disability justice to guide us in the critique of norms, traditions, and institutions to more fully promote the respect, beneficence, and justice that patients deserve.

CRISIS OF IDENTITY IN THE CONTEXT OF MACRO-SOCIAL CHANGES

Identity formation involves all of us. The questions Who am I? and Where do I belong to? arise quite often in our minds. In the past, an individual was bound by its social status, gender identity and social traditions. In today's modern society, according to some even post-modern society, humans have gained enormous freedom. They can freely build their own identity, they can choose their own way of life, their partner, profession and all of that according to their own criteria. On the one hand, people have acquired enormous freedom. On the other hand, they were given responsibility for their lives. Seeking and creating one's own identity is a lifelong process and, in the context of macro-social changes in society, its complexity creates various kinds of problems and crises.