According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, the average age of retirement for men and women was the same in 1998: 64 years old. Gendell and Seigel (1992) predicted that age at retirement would continue to fall for men and women into the 2000's, but as a Star-Tribune (MN, 2007) article suggests, current census figures don't seem to follow the predicted pattern. More people over 65 are remaining in the workforce.
Speaking of retirement: I think I'd better officially retire Difference Blog before I start to really slack on it. I haven't been satisfied with the quality of my posts for a while, and I'm not finding more time to do it in. This Tuesday, I just flat-out missed a day right after taking two weeks away from the blog. I haven't made Difference Blog the type of blog I'd want to read, and it's increasingly not the type I want to write. I'm not saying that this is the last DB post, but I clearly can't keep up with 5 posts per week anymore. Thanks for all your comments and feedback over the past (nearly) three years.
Friday, June 26, 2009
Thursday, June 25, 2009
[Filler] Penis Power
I'm in a class this morning and didn't have time to post. However, talking to a coworker while I got my coffee, we got onto the subject of HBO. HBO doesn't scrimp on the presentation of breasts, ass, or cursing, but I'm not recalling much in the way of male exposure. My coworker described the condition as "Advanced Penis Deprivation"; and we spent some time discussing what I've long considered a double standard about the taboo surrounding naked bodies.
Is it really a double standard? Does it bother you?
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Is it really a double standard? Does it bother you?
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Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Biases affect Performance
Nosek et al (2009) provide additional support for the effect of stereotype threat on academic performance. Using gender bias data from Project Implicit and scores from the Trends in International Math and Science Study (TIMSS), Nosek's study found that countries where stronger gender biases existed also showed greater disparities in TIMSS performance between girls and boys. (see other posts tagged "stereotype threat")
I'd be interested to see if there's a regional difference in biases within the U.S. or Canada. Do people in Montana hold difference gender biases than people in California, or Texas, or Massachusetts? Do gender disparities in math and science performance mirror these differences, if they exist? I feel like using regional differences within a country might control for some portion of the huge array of cultural confounds that I suspect plague international studies. The cultures are regionally diverse, but there is a common language and legal system, and I feel like that would help.
I feel like the big "key", if there is a one, to stereotype threat is the self-fulfilling prophecy. Maybe what I mean is that stereotype threat assumes a self-fulfilling prophecy. I'm concerned that it rules out a valid interpretation of available data. Let's say, for some unknown reason, that there is an innate gender difference ability in math and science in Chile, but not in Cyprus. Wouldn't it make sense for the people in those countries to have beliefs that reflected that reality? I don't think that's the case, but I'm not sure it's appropriately ruled out by the stereotype threat studies -- because they assume that the biases create the performance, rather than performance creating the biases.
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I'd be interested to see if there's a regional difference in biases within the U.S. or Canada. Do people in Montana hold difference gender biases than people in California, or Texas, or Massachusetts? Do gender disparities in math and science performance mirror these differences, if they exist? I feel like using regional differences within a country might control for some portion of the huge array of cultural confounds that I suspect plague international studies. The cultures are regionally diverse, but there is a common language and legal system, and I feel like that would help.
I feel like the big "key", if there is a one, to stereotype threat is the self-fulfilling prophecy. Maybe what I mean is that stereotype threat assumes a self-fulfilling prophecy. I'm concerned that it rules out a valid interpretation of available data. Let's say, for some unknown reason, that there is an innate gender difference ability in math and science in Chile, but not in Cyprus. Wouldn't it make sense for the people in those countries to have beliefs that reflected that reality? I don't think that's the case, but I'm not sure it's appropriately ruled out by the stereotype threat studies -- because they assume that the biases create the performance, rather than performance creating the biases.
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Monday, June 22, 2009
Gender differences in PTSD
Lilly et al (2009) assert that among civilians in general, women tend to have more PTSD than men (see Tolin & Foa, 2006), but that military populations tend not to have this gender difference (see Brewin et al, 2000). To examine this pattern, Lilly et al compared posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms between female police officers and women in the civilian population. The police officer group had greater rates of exposure to violence, which is usually a strong risk factor for PTSD, but lower rates of PTSD symptoms. The authors suggest that the low emotionality (masculine) gender role encouraged for women in the police and military may have a protective effect in terms of PTSD.
Previous posts on Difference Blog have not found as clear a civilian/military divide for gender differences in PTSD. Studies of civilians post-9/11 were inconsistent in finding more PTSD among women (2006-09-11). Two posts examining military sexual trauma found higher rates of PTSD among women in the military, but this did not always control for higher rates of sexual assault against women (2006-11-10 & 2008-11-11). Before the age where career enters into it, girls 7-18 were more likely to develop PTSD following a car crash than boys of the same age (2007-01-08).
In this case, I am more convinced by Lilly et al's literature review than by my own: I can't see any obvious problems with the meta-analyses they cite (which is why I linked them, above), although I didn't check the individual studies. What this really drives home to me is how the scattershot approach I take to Difference Blog topics can paint a really odd picture of the state-of-knowledge in a particular field. Given the studies I've posted about, I would not have picked up on a pattern based on military service.
That being said, I'm not sure of the chicken-and-egg situation between emotionality and career. It seems to me that someone who tended to have strong peritraumatic distress would not tend to pursue a career in law enforcement or the military -- regardless of their gender. The hypothesized effect of the male-dominated field on the female officers does not seem obvious to me.
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Previous posts on Difference Blog have not found as clear a civilian/military divide for gender differences in PTSD. Studies of civilians post-9/11 were inconsistent in finding more PTSD among women (2006-09-11). Two posts examining military sexual trauma found higher rates of PTSD among women in the military, but this did not always control for higher rates of sexual assault against women (2006-11-10 & 2008-11-11). Before the age where career enters into it, girls 7-18 were more likely to develop PTSD following a car crash than boys of the same age (2007-01-08).
In this case, I am more convinced by Lilly et al's literature review than by my own: I can't see any obvious problems with the meta-analyses they cite (which is why I linked them, above), although I didn't check the individual studies. What this really drives home to me is how the scattershot approach I take to Difference Blog topics can paint a really odd picture of the state-of-knowledge in a particular field. Given the studies I've posted about, I would not have picked up on a pattern based on military service.
That being said, I'm not sure of the chicken-and-egg situation between emotionality and career. It seems to me that someone who tended to have strong peritraumatic distress would not tend to pursue a career in law enforcement or the military -- regardless of their gender. The hypothesized effect of the male-dominated field on the female officers does not seem obvious to me.
Find out the day's topic before you read: follow diffblog on Twitter! Diffblog also available on LiveJournal.
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Monday, June 8, 2009
Construction of Masculinity
Kang, 2009 discusses how masculine identity has shaped politics, and in turn been shaped by politics, in American self-government. Kang contrasts philophers Thomas Hobbes' and Robert Filmer's views of manliness, and shows how neither of these competing views of manliness made responsible self-government seem realistic in 17th-century England.
I've been meaning to discuss Kang's article for a while. The author did email me directly to point it out, but I think it's especially relevant because it tackles a question that is key to the questions raised in this blog. It's all too easy for me to see "femininity" as a constructed thing, but Kang points out the ways that our legal history, at least in the U.S., has constructed masculinity as well. Examples include codes of "gentleman's codes" and sports fandoms. The code of law seems bent towards preventing men from acting as men are presumed to be, with little consideration of women as relevant at all.
I saw an ad for a beer today which read "Be the person your grandparents think you are" -- encouraging potential drinkers to be worthy of heartfelt admiration. It brought home to me how much all identities, not just trans-identities, are constructed and maintained by daily action.
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I've been meaning to discuss Kang's article for a while. The author did email me directly to point it out, but I think it's especially relevant because it tackles a question that is key to the questions raised in this blog. It's all too easy for me to see "femininity" as a constructed thing, but Kang points out the ways that our legal history, at least in the U.S., has constructed masculinity as well. Examples include codes of "gentleman's codes" and sports fandoms. The code of law seems bent towards preventing men from acting as men are presumed to be, with little consideration of women as relevant at all.
I saw an ad for a beer today which read "Be the person your grandparents think you are" -- encouraging potential drinkers to be worthy of heartfelt admiration. It brought home to me how much all identities, not just trans-identities, are constructed and maintained by daily action.
Find out the day's topic before you read: follow diffblog on Twitter! Diffblog also available on LiveJournal.
Difference Blog Reader Poll
Friday, June 5, 2009
[Filler] Wikipedia on Gender Roles
Today, for the first time ever, I took a look at the Gender Roles page on Wikipedia. I'm not sure I've ever seen so many "article message boxes" in a single place before:
"This article is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. "
"This article may be confusing or unclear to readers"
"This article or section has multiple issues"
"Its neutrality is disputed"
"Its factual accuracy is disputed."
"This article may contain original research or unverified claims."
"This section's factual accuracy is disputed."
I don't even know where to start.
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"This article is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. "
"This article may be confusing or unclear to readers"
"This article or section has multiple issues"
"Its neutrality is disputed"
"Its factual accuracy is disputed."
"This article may contain original research or unverified claims."
"This section's factual accuracy is disputed."
I don't even know where to start.
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Thursday, June 4, 2009
[Filler] Testing Gender (& Vacation Notice)
Looking at your fingernails with your hand facing
"palm-up" is supposedly a sign of masculinity.
Taking macro-lens photos of your fingernails
may be a sign of insanity. Photo by Dan4th, 2006.
Even before transition, I was obsessed with these sorts of tests, and performed the tasks the "wrong" way as soon as I found out which way was wrong. Some of them make sense in social context: looking at your fingernails palm up tells you if they're dirty, while palm down lets you check your nail polish. Others make physical sense: it makes sense for men and women to carry awkward loads differently because of differences in center-of-gravity and upper body strength. Despite the "face validity" of these tests, in my limited samples of them, I've found them not particular good predictors.
Sorry for the lack of research today: I'm on vacation starting tomorrow, and I have a lot of work to do before I'm ready to shut down for two weeks. I will probably post a couple of times during vacation, but not every weekday. Regular posting will begin again in the week of June 22nd.
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