Category Archives: Gender Roles

By Age Six, Girls Have Already Stopped Thinking of Their Gender as ‘Brilliant’

Researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign conducted a study to determine when girls begin to accept the stereotype that boys are genuises more often than girls.

What it Means to Build Without Bias: Questioning the Role of Gender in Architecture

In her thesis project, graduate student Hannah Rozenberg created an algorithm to measure how male or female physical spaces are and created architectural models of gender neutral spaces.

Women really are better doctors, study suggests

Medical professionals analyze what factors might account for the results of a study that showed female physicians had fewer patients who died or were readmitted to the hospital.

Countries with Less Gender Equity Have More Women in STEM–Huh?

Psychologist Adam Mastroianni and biologist Dakota McCoy argue that environmental factors, not innate interests, dissuade women from pursuing science and math.

Daddy Track: The Case for Paternity Leave

Many working parents struggle with developing a strong work-life balance. Some states are beginning to offer extended paternity leave, which could change how fathers—and mothers—balance raising children and having careers.

Why was Pink for Boys and Blue for Girls?

In PBS’s Origin of Everything web series, host Danielle Bainbridge explains how we came to associate pink as a color for girls and blue as a color for boys.

A New Rating for TV and Movies Tries to Combat Gender Stereotypes

The nonprofit group Common Sense Media has created a rating that labels television shows and movies as having “positive gender representations.” Read this article to find out why they created the label and what falls into the category.

Mary Wollstonecraft Biography

This biography describes the major life events of feminist writer Mary Wollstonecraft, author of A Vindication of the Rights of Woman.

Flexible Work Alone Won’t Create Gender Equality, but These Things Might

Author Brigid Shulte examines why work flexibile work hours don’t always affect gender equaity and describes four other things that can help.

Gender Brain Differences May Explain Why Women Are Kinder Than Men

Though scientists are unable to tell when and how the brains of men and women start to differ, recent studies show differences do exist. Accounting for these differences could help the effectiveness of medication.

Dads who do chores bolster daughters’ aspirations

In a recent study, researchers at the University of British Columbia found that daughters who see their fathers contribute to household chores are more likely to have higher career aspirations.

Patience Agbabi: Chaucer remixed

Poet Patience Agbabi re-writes Geoffrey Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales with characters from modern-day England.

When Girls Studied Planets and the Skies Had No Limits

In the early 1800s, astronomy was seen as a feminine hobby. As it became professionalized, women started to become sidlined. Scientists like Maria Mitchell fought for women’s place in the field.

Wonder Women have been smashing the patriarchy since classical times

English literature lecturer Roberta Magnani draws comparisons between comic book heroine Wonder Woman and characters from mythology and classical literature.

Wives are partly to blame for the fact that men won’t take ‘female’ jobs, professor says

This article examines why men may be hesitant to pursue traditionally-female jobs.

Proud to be a Mill Girl

New England industrialists hired thousands of young women from farms to work together in early textile mills—and spawned a host of unintended consequences.