Van den Tillar and Ettema (2004) found that overarm throwing strength was related to size (measured as fat free body mass: FFM), and not gender, in a group of experienced handball players. In an obese sample, Lafortuna et al (2005) failed to find a gender component to strength differences, although they noted that women tended to develop more fat mass compared to obese men, who developed fat mass and fat free mass at similar rates. Lindle et al (1997) also found no gender effect in strength when controlling for size, but did find a greater retention of strength in older women, a phenomenon discussed previously in "Age and Muscle" (3/26/2007).
These studies demonstrate what should be obvious: strength is an issue of muscle, not gender. While women tend to have less muscle mass than men, and strength differences are generally valid to the total populations of men and women have been documented (see "Upper Body Strength" 11/29/2006), this means little for any given man and woman. FFM is a better predictor of strength than gender.
livejournal version
Thursday, May 31, 2007
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
Evolutionary Psychology 101
David Schmitt (2003) claims to have found a universal sex difference: the desire for sexual variety. Schmitt's data from the International Sexuality Description Project (ISDP), a project for which he is the Founding Director, collected surveys from over 16,000 people in 52 nations (largely college students). Schmitt concludes that men in all cultures desire to have more sexual partners than women in all cultures.
Schmitt's survey is rooted in two main theories of evolutionary psychology: parental investment theory (Trivers 1972, in Campbell 1972) and its expansion, sexual strategies theory (Buss and Schmitt 1993). Parental investment theory, in short, notes that the sex that invests less in offspring will be less discriminating in choice of mate. Sexual strategies theory proposes different strategies for long-term and short-term mating, with long-term involving a greater investment in time and resources.
The questionnaire for ISDP-2 is available online, but appears to no longer be collecting data. The site is undated.
While I suspect that this may actually be a gender difference, I don't think that the age of the participants, or the self-report issue can be reasonably ignored. However, I'm perfectly willing to admit that I have a huge bias on this, and that I was raised from a child hearing about how appalling evolutionary psychology was. It's hard for me to get past that to see the parts that make sense.
livejournal version
Schmitt's survey is rooted in two main theories of evolutionary psychology: parental investment theory (Trivers 1972, in Campbell 1972) and its expansion, sexual strategies theory (Buss and Schmitt 1993). Parental investment theory, in short, notes that the sex that invests less in offspring will be less discriminating in choice of mate. Sexual strategies theory proposes different strategies for long-term and short-term mating, with long-term involving a greater investment in time and resources.
The questionnaire for ISDP-2 is available online, but appears to no longer be collecting data. The site is undated.
While I suspect that this may actually be a gender difference, I don't think that the age of the participants, or the self-report issue can be reasonably ignored. However, I'm perfectly willing to admit that I have a huge bias on this, and that I was raised from a child hearing about how appalling evolutionary psychology was. It's hard for me to get past that to see the parts that make sense.
livejournal version
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
Homework
Time spent on homework, according to Hofferth et al (2001) has "substantial variation by age": as children get older, they tend to have greater workloads. Hofferth et al found that "girls read less per week than boys, but, with age, their reading time increased relative to that of boys," but this included both reading for pleasure and homework reading.
In the current issue of Perspectives on Labour and Income by Statistics Canada, Katherine Marshall (2007) discusses the results of a recent survey of Canadian teens: girls did 10.3 hours of homework per week, on average, compared to 8.1 hours for boys. Marshall says this is consistent with results in most industrialized countries. For example, Statistics Netherlands reported about 1.75 hours daily for girls, versus about 1.50 hours daily for boys, according to CBS Netherlands (2001).
I did very little homework as a kid, or in college. I was one of those really annoying kids who did the bare minimum and still did decently well, although I was hardly valedictorian material. Oh, wait, I still am. My study habits have improved slightly with age, but I suspect that's more related to the fact that I pay for my own education now, so I'm more determined to get value out of it. However, I have learned in my night courses that if I need to miss a class and want to get notes from someone, I ought to ask a woman, and the older, the better. When I've attended study sessions, the gender balance is far more female-skewed than the classes themselves.
livejournal version
In the current issue of Perspectives on Labour and Income by Statistics Canada, Katherine Marshall (2007) discusses the results of a recent survey of Canadian teens: girls did 10.3 hours of homework per week, on average, compared to 8.1 hours for boys. Marshall says this is consistent with results in most industrialized countries. For example, Statistics Netherlands reported about 1.75 hours daily for girls, versus about 1.50 hours daily for boys, according to CBS Netherlands (2001).
I did very little homework as a kid, or in college. I was one of those really annoying kids who did the bare minimum and still did decently well, although I was hardly valedictorian material. Oh, wait, I still am. My study habits have improved slightly with age, but I suspect that's more related to the fact that I pay for my own education now, so I'm more determined to get value out of it. However, I have learned in my night courses that if I need to miss a class and want to get notes from someone, I ought to ask a woman, and the older, the better. When I've attended study sessions, the gender balance is far more female-skewed than the classes themselves.
livejournal version
Monday, May 28, 2007
Memorial Day Break / Gender differences video
Good morning folks. I forgot to mention that (in the U.S.) it's Memorial Day, so I'd be sleeping in, and not writing. So instead, here's a five-minute video by SDTimeless (April 2007) which was a class project. It appears SD went out and asked people on the street a few questions about gender differences (focusing largely on equity in the workplace). Comments on female bosses are especially enlightening.
livejournal version
livejournal version
Friday, May 25, 2007
The evolutionary utility of gender differences
Anole lizards in the West Indies adapt
rapidly to changing environmental pressures.
There are over 400 identified species
within the Anolis genus. Image from
The Glor Lab at the University of Rochester.
One of the issues that I often run into when I'm writing and thinking about Difference Blog is wondering what good gender differences do. They wouldn't exist if their absence wasn't a liability. I hadn't liked any of my explanations.
However, Butler, Sawyer, and Losos's work seems really comforting to me, in a way. If the sexual dimorphism is necessary to ensure broader range of attributes, then diversity of gender expression also feels necessary. For example, if males tend to have longer legs, and shorter legs become a better survival trait, there need to be some males with shorter (e.g. more feminine) legs to pass on this trait. Generally, if I find a piece of science comforting, I assume I'm ignoring or misunderstanding a piece of it. But it's Friday, it's been a rough week, and I'm going to let this one sit for the moment (until one of you points out the hole in my logic, which I hope you will.)
Livejournal version
Thursday, May 24, 2007
Gotta be the shoes
Gender differences in footwear purchases are the stuff of gender legend, but few cited sources can be found to back these claims up. According to a CBC documentary "High Heel Confidential", 3/25/2007), the average North American woman owns 30 pairs of shoes, and buys 6 new pair every year. However, Sally Brook, writing for The Sun (UK, 2006) states that the average for women is only 19, but that women tend to lie about their shoe purchases. "SatchelGirlJess " on "The Purse Forum" quotes the June issue of Allure Magazine as saying that the average for U.S. women is 27. Paul Nunes and Brian Johnson, in their book Mass Influence (2004) say women average 30 pairs, men twelve to fifteen. Noel Laws (on Chucksconnection.com) quotes a figure from Harper's Bazaar of 12 for women, 6 for men.
The topics for the past couple days were kind of a downer; I wanted to do something "fluffy." I didn't realize exactly how fluffy this topic was -- there doesn't seem to be much publicly available market research on shoe purchasing habits. I didn't do the count-up before leaving the house this morning, but I know I've always been surprised when I did. I have far more shoes than I think I do, because I only really wear one pair all the time. The other shoes I have lying around are worn out, emergency pairs, former "primary" pairs that got too battered to wear to work, but that I couldn't bring myself to chuck because they still had some use in them.
livejournal version
The topics for the past couple days were kind of a downer; I wanted to do something "fluffy." I didn't realize exactly how fluffy this topic was -- there doesn't seem to be much publicly available market research on shoe purchasing habits. I didn't do the count-up before leaving the house this morning, but I know I've always been surprised when I did. I have far more shoes than I think I do, because I only really wear one pair all the time. The other shoes I have lying around are worn out, emergency pairs, former "primary" pairs that got too battered to wear to work, but that I couldn't bring myself to chuck because they still had some use in them.
livejournal version
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
Managing HIV and AIDS
Clark and Squires (2005) review the issues surrounding treating HIV in women, especially the . Rebecca Clark has written several articles calling for further research on HIV infected women, but the majority of the research continues to be on men.
Without antiretroviral therapy, women who progress to AIDS tend to die significantly faster than men, according to Lemp et al (1992). However, with the advent of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART), Charurat et al (2004) reported a reduction of 76% in progression to AIDS in women. A similar study on men by Detels et al (2001) found an 81% reduction since HAART. Farzadegan et al (1998) tested a group of HIV-positive injection drug users for viral load and time until their HIV progressed to AIDS. They found that while women tended to have lower viral load, women also progressed to AIDS at a much lower level than men: "women with half the viral load of men had a similar time to AIDS." However, McNaghten et al (2004) found that HIV-positive women in 10 U.S. cities were less likely to be prescribed HAART than their male counterparts.
I love what Clark's doing, generally, but the opener to her 2005 review squicks me a little: "The vast majority of HIV-infected women are of childbearing potential." Now, this is a bias, and I know it's a bias. I'm overly touchy about regarding women as potential mothers. It's a completely valid health issue -- but the fact that women are affected differently by antiretroviral drugs than men seems like a big deal on its own to me. The potential effect on people who don't exist yet seems like a secondary, if not tertiary, issue.
livejournal version
Without antiretroviral therapy, women who progress to AIDS tend to die significantly faster than men, according to Lemp et al (1992). However, with the advent of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART), Charurat et al (2004) reported a reduction of 76% in progression to AIDS in women. A similar study on men by Detels et al (2001) found an 81% reduction since HAART. Farzadegan et al (1998) tested a group of HIV-positive injection drug users for viral load and time until their HIV progressed to AIDS. They found that while women tended to have lower viral load, women also progressed to AIDS at a much lower level than men: "women with half the viral load of men had a similar time to AIDS." However, McNaghten et al (2004) found that HIV-positive women in 10 U.S. cities were less likely to be prescribed HAART than their male counterparts.
I love what Clark's doing, generally, but the opener to her 2005 review squicks me a little: "The vast majority of HIV-infected women are of childbearing potential." Now, this is a bias, and I know it's a bias. I'm overly touchy about regarding women as potential mothers. It's a completely valid health issue -- but the fact that women are affected differently by antiretroviral drugs than men seems like a big deal on its own to me. The potential effect on people who don't exist yet seems like a secondary, if not tertiary, issue.
livejournal version
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
Rheumatoid Arthritis
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) affects about 2 million people in the U.S., and about three times as many women as men. Forslind et al (2007) found that women were far less likely than men to have early rheumatoid arthritis go into remission. Prior to treatment, the women and men in the study had similar symptoms, but the disease appeared to become more severe in women during the five year study. Jawaheer et al (2006) had reported last year that men tended to have later onset of RA and were less likely to produce the autoantibodies that are associated with erosive RA.
Katz and Criswell (1996) found that women routinely reported more severe symptoms of RA than men; their study suggests that this trend leads many doctors to assume women are exaggerating. However, Katz and Criswell found that women actually had more severe symptoms.
It's probably an issue of only remembering the exceptional cases, but I feel like I've known a lot of young women with RA. The papers I read on the subject suggest that it is unusual for women to start experiencing symptoms of RA before menopause, but I can think of at least 3 cases from my personal experience in their twenties and thirties. In thinking about this, I find myself thinking of the fact that healthy women are generally more flexible than healthy men. Depression in patients with RA is well documented. However, Persson et al (2005) found that emotional distress related to RA was more severe, and escalated, in younger women. After today's research, I'm even more impressed with the resilience of the women I've known.
livejournal version
Katz and Criswell (1996) found that women routinely reported more severe symptoms of RA than men; their study suggests that this trend leads many doctors to assume women are exaggerating. However, Katz and Criswell found that women actually had more severe symptoms.
It's probably an issue of only remembering the exceptional cases, but I feel like I've known a lot of young women with RA. The papers I read on the subject suggest that it is unusual for women to start experiencing symptoms of RA before menopause, but I can think of at least 3 cases from my personal experience in their twenties and thirties. In thinking about this, I find myself thinking of the fact that healthy women are generally more flexible than healthy men. Depression in patients with RA is well documented. However, Persson et al (2005) found that emotional distress related to RA was more severe, and escalated, in younger women. After today's research, I'm even more impressed with the resilience of the women I've known.
livejournal version
Monday, May 21, 2007
Bisexuality and Sexual Fluidity
Gregory Herek (2002) surveyed attitudes toward bisexuality in 1997 and 1999 and found an interesting sex difference: men felt differently about gay and bisexual women than about gay and bisexual men, but women felt differently about bisexual men and women than gay men and women. On one measure, Herek reports "feelings toward bisexuals were colder (less favorable) than toward any other group except injecting drug users." (Only responses from heterosexuals were included in this study, but less than 4% of the sample reported any other sexuality).
Richard Lippa (2006) found that higher sex drive was connected to greater desire for both men and women in women only; men appeared to have increased desire for one sex or the other. However, the self-report measures Lippa used were highly subjective, and reporting bias is likely to have occurred. Roy Baumeister's review (2000) suggests that women have a more flexible and socially influenced sex drive than men, varying their amount and type of sexual activity widely over the course of their lifetimes.
This topic leads to entirely too many chances for authors to be cute. Levine (2003) says: "In both the clinician's and the researcher's hands, sexual desire is a slippery concept."
Yes, I have known a lot more women who say they're bisexual than men. But I really think that's a reporting bias more than a difference in the way men's and women's sex drive is programmed. Even without the socialization of childhood, I still find it socially harder to say I'm bisexual now than it was a decade ago, and my social environment isn't more restrictive -- except in as much as I'm read and treated as male.
livejournal version
Richard Lippa (2006) found that higher sex drive was connected to greater desire for both men and women in women only; men appeared to have increased desire for one sex or the other. However, the self-report measures Lippa used were highly subjective, and reporting bias is likely to have occurred. Roy Baumeister's review (2000) suggests that women have a more flexible and socially influenced sex drive than men, varying their amount and type of sexual activity widely over the course of their lifetimes.
This topic leads to entirely too many chances for authors to be cute. Levine (2003) says: "In both the clinician's and the researcher's hands, sexual desire is a slippery concept."
Yes, I have known a lot more women who say they're bisexual than men. But I really think that's a reporting bias more than a difference in the way men's and women's sex drive is programmed. Even without the socialization of childhood, I still find it socially harder to say I'm bisexual now than it was a decade ago, and my social environment isn't more restrictive -- except in as much as I'm read and treated as male.
livejournal version
Friday, May 18, 2007
Facial Expression Sensitivity
Montagne et al (2005) found that men showed less sensitivity and less accuracy in identifying emotional facial expressions than women. Montagne's study was initiated to expand on Campbell et al's (2002) findings that women (but not men) had showed correlations between recognition of unfamiliar faces and the recognition of the facial expression of fear.
Hess et al (1997) found that Matsumoto and Ekman's (1997) standardized emotional facial expression stimuli showed a main effect of gender when rated for degrees of emotionality: "anger and disgust expressions by male actors were rated as more angry and more disgusted while happiness expressions by female actors were rated as more happy." The sex of the observed face is not always controlled in these studies, but Montagne and Campbell both claimed no effect in this area.
One of my personal quirks that upsets me most often is the fact that I grin like a madman when I have really upsetting news to give someone. I'm told that I look genuinely joyful, and I hate it, because I certainly don't think I'm engaging in schadenfreude, but I'm a little afraid that I am. Assuming that I'm not actually gleeful about ruining someone's day, it's really annoying that I can't control this reaction. I try to keep a somber face, but there doesn't seem to be anything I can do to change it.
livejournal version
Hess et al (1997) found that Matsumoto and Ekman's (1997) standardized emotional facial expression stimuli showed a main effect of gender when rated for degrees of emotionality: "anger and disgust expressions by male actors were rated as more angry and more disgusted while happiness expressions by female actors were rated as more happy." The sex of the observed face is not always controlled in these studies, but Montagne and Campbell both claimed no effect in this area.
One of my personal quirks that upsets me most often is the fact that I grin like a madman when I have really upsetting news to give someone. I'm told that I look genuinely joyful, and I hate it, because I certainly don't think I'm engaging in schadenfreude, but I'm a little afraid that I am. Assuming that I'm not actually gleeful about ruining someone's day, it's really annoying that I can't control this reaction. I try to keep a somber face, but there doesn't seem to be anything I can do to change it.
livejournal version
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
Gossip
"Did you Hear?"(9/18/2006) looked at gossip as a form of aggression, barely scratching the surface of positive news shared between friends. In a column also called "Did you hear?" (5/11/2007), Gail Rosenblum of the Minneapolis-St Paul Star Tribune looks at research into the truly neutral nature of gossip, neutral in content and in gender. A survey commissioned by BT Cellnet in 2001 and conducted by the Social Issues Research Centre (SIRC, see undated report by Kate Fox) concluded that men gossip as much as women, although they are more apt to deny it. However, the definition used for gossip by the SIRC study is "chatty talk between friends", which makes it unsurprising that the study founf gossip to be the most popular use of mobile phones. However a secondary definition provided more depth: "the process of informally communicating value-laden information about members of a social setting."
The findings of the SIRC study are contrary to Levin and Arluke's (1985) finding that men spend less time gossiping than women, although Rosenblum's article quotes Levin in a way that suggests he may have adjusted his view since writing his book, Gossip: The Inside Scoop, 20 years ago. Baumeister et al (2004) proposes that gossip is a critical method of observational teaching for socialization, which he suggests is why people will gossip about strangers.
I have been thinking about gossip a lot lately, since I have been making a greater effort to avoid it. Gossip is one of the things that has always turned me off of the idea of belonging to a community. I've actively avoided, in the past, having my friends know each other because the "did you hear about..." talk made me so uncomfortable. However, I've been thinking about it a lot in terms of the poly community lately, and it's felt like a really necessary safeguard in situations where normative behavioral "rules" are discarded. Without the gossip to warn me that so-and-so has a history of dragging people into her baggage, or that whats-his-face doesn't always use condoms, I think the already burdensome level of negotiations would become unworkable.
livejournal version
The findings of the SIRC study are contrary to Levin and Arluke's (1985) finding that men spend less time gossiping than women, although Rosenblum's article quotes Levin in a way that suggests he may have adjusted his view since writing his book, Gossip: The Inside Scoop, 20 years ago. Baumeister et al (2004) proposes that gossip is a critical method of observational teaching for socialization, which he suggests is why people will gossip about strangers.
I have been thinking about gossip a lot lately, since I have been making a greater effort to avoid it. Gossip is one of the things that has always turned me off of the idea of belonging to a community. I've actively avoided, in the past, having my friends know each other because the "did you hear about..." talk made me so uncomfortable. However, I've been thinking about it a lot in terms of the poly community lately, and it's felt like a really necessary safeguard in situations where normative behavioral "rules" are discarded. Without the gossip to warn me that so-and-so has a history of dragging people into her baggage, or that whats-his-face doesn't always use condoms, I think the already burdensome level of negotiations would become unworkable.
livejournal version
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
Diabetes
Bird et al (2007) found that women with diabetes received worse care than men under Medicare and other managed care plans. The study also examined heart disease. MedPageToday summarizes the findings, published in the May/June issue of Women's Health Issues, and quotes a separate statement by Dr. Bird: "The disparities cannot be explained by a lack of patient reporting or not recognizing the symptoms of a disease."
According to the CDC's Diabetes Program "over half" (about 51%) of the adults with diabetes in the U.S. are women, with minorities having higher rates than whites. However, Ensom (2000) suggests that "prevalence rates of diabetes are not consistently higher for women, with the ratio of the prevalence in women versus men varying among populations studied."
Dr. Bird's study was part of a special cardiac issue of Women's Health Issues. It seems almost impossible to disentangle diabetes care and cardiac care; as discussed in the kidney/blood pressure article last week, one affects the other. One tidbit that I found especially interesting was that the CDC provides prevalence maps by state for diabetes diagnosis in all adults and in adult women, but not in men.
livejournal version
According to the CDC's Diabetes Program "over half" (about 51%) of the adults with diabetes in the U.S. are women, with minorities having higher rates than whites. However, Ensom (2000) suggests that "prevalence rates of diabetes are not consistently higher for women, with the ratio of the prevalence in women versus men varying among populations studied."
Dr. Bird's study was part of a special cardiac issue of Women's Health Issues. It seems almost impossible to disentangle diabetes care and cardiac care; as discussed in the kidney/blood pressure article last week, one affects the other. One tidbit that I found especially interesting was that the CDC provides prevalence maps by state for diabetes diagnosis in all adults and in adult women, but not in men.
livejournal version
Monday, May 14, 2007
Gender and Teasing
Keltner et al (1998) hypothesized that women would have more negative emotions associated with teasing than men, whether they were the aggressor or the target. While they tested this hypothesis only within heterosexual, college-aged romantic relationships, they did find support for this hypothesis, and also found that women were more upset by being teased by their partner than by teasing him. Keltner et al's 2001 meta-analysis suggests that the claim that friendly teasing is more prevalent among males is not supported.
Wirth and Schultheiss (2006) found that high-testosterone (for their sex group) people of both genders learned patterns more easily when associated with an "angry" face, leading to the conclusion that a fleeting "angry" expression is rewarding to these individuals. "Perhaps teasers are reinforced by that fleeting annoyed look on someone else’s face and therefore will continue to heckle that person to get that look again and again. As long as it does not stay there for long, it’s not perceived as a threat, but as a reward.” Schultheiss said in a University of Michigan press release.
The difference in teasing -- and in accepting teasing without getting upset -- is one of the gender stereotypes that gets brought to my attention most often, and my experience has certainly played out that way. However, I feel that using romantically involved couples was a major weakness in Keltner's 1998 study. People react very differently to teasing from their partner than from a friend of any gender. However, I do think this is one of the areas in which individual differences far outweigh any gender patterns.
livejournal version
Wirth and Schultheiss (2006) found that high-testosterone (for their sex group) people of both genders learned patterns more easily when associated with an "angry" face, leading to the conclusion that a fleeting "angry" expression is rewarding to these individuals. "Perhaps teasers are reinforced by that fleeting annoyed look on someone else’s face and therefore will continue to heckle that person to get that look again and again. As long as it does not stay there for long, it’s not perceived as a threat, but as a reward.” Schultheiss said in a University of Michigan press release.
The difference in teasing -- and in accepting teasing without getting upset -- is one of the gender stereotypes that gets brought to my attention most often, and my experience has certainly played out that way. However, I feel that using romantically involved couples was a major weakness in Keltner's 1998 study. People react very differently to teasing from their partner than from a friend of any gender. However, I do think this is one of the areas in which individual differences far outweigh any gender patterns.
livejournal version
Friday, May 11, 2007
Stereotype threat
Stereotype threat refers to the tendency of people to perform worse on tests when primed for the belief that they are innately inferior in a particular realm. Both men and women appear be susceptible to this priming. Dar-Nimrod and Heine (2006) found that women did worse on math tests when told that men were better at math. Aronson et al (1999) found this effect in white men when compared to asian men in mathematics.
Some researchers are beginning to examine ways to overcome stereotype threat. Ambady et al (2004) found that the effect of negative "stereotype threat" can be reduced by individuation priming; by reminding people of the ways they are different from other people. However, Ellemers and Barretto (2006) point out that people are generally less aware of positive stereotypes because they tend to agree with them. However, a person's self-confidence is more often increased by being negatively categorized, because of the opportunity to protest.
There's nothing like a little rebellion to really get the blood pumping, right? I love the feeling of proving that "I'm not like them." I like it as much as feeling like I am "like them." About 10 years ago, before I transitioned, I spent several weeks flirting with a girl online and allowing her to think I was a guy. The closest I came to explicitly saying I was a guy was a bit of self-directed bashing, which I justified to myself as being about "people who date women." I don't know if I'm more afraid of being different as everyone else or of being the same as everyone else, but in that moment, it felt really good to be seen as being just as infuriatingly attractive as all the other guys.
livejournal version
Some researchers are beginning to examine ways to overcome stereotype threat. Ambady et al (2004) found that the effect of negative "stereotype threat" can be reduced by individuation priming; by reminding people of the ways they are different from other people. However, Ellemers and Barretto (2006) point out that people are generally less aware of positive stereotypes because they tend to agree with them. However, a person's self-confidence is more often increased by being negatively categorized, because of the opportunity to protest.
There's nothing like a little rebellion to really get the blood pumping, right? I love the feeling of proving that "I'm not like them." I like it as much as feeling like I am "like them." About 10 years ago, before I transitioned, I spent several weeks flirting with a girl online and allowing her to think I was a guy. The closest I came to explicitly saying I was a guy was a bit of self-directed bashing, which I justified to myself as being about "people who date women." I don't know if I'm more afraid of being different as everyone else or of being the same as everyone else, but in that moment, it felt really good to be seen as being just as infuriatingly attractive as all the other guys.
livejournal version
Thursday, May 10, 2007
Differences in effect of Height
While the effects of physical height on job success for men are well documented, it has been suggested that women would have a ceiling effect on height benefit, being negatively judged as too tall. However, Judge and Cable (2004) found that physical height was related to financial success for both men and women. Effects appeared to be slightly stronger in men, but this effect was not statistically significant. Egolf and Corder (1991) found differences in job status were linked to height in both genders.
This effect is generally suspected to be related to higher self-esteem in taller individuals. However, data on whether taller women have higher self-esteem seems sparse. Barry Harper (2000) found that tall women had a 5% disadvantage in marriage prospects compared to women of average height (short men were at a 7% disadvantage). Eisenberg et al (1984) found that mothers assigned harsher punishments to hypothetical tall girls (but not tall boys).
I'm not even going to pretend I don't have a bias here. I'm short. I wish I was taller. I'm significantly bothered by my height. I have considered extreme and possibly unsafe measures to increase my height. In terms of self image, height is my stumbling block -- and I'm not even that short. For a man, I fall well below the 5th percentile, but I'm between the 45-50th percentile for a woman - very, very close to average. I don't think I hold other people to my unreasonable standards for height, but I'm never sure how much I'm participating in the social conspiracy against people of short stature.
livejournal version
This effect is generally suspected to be related to higher self-esteem in taller individuals. However, data on whether taller women have higher self-esteem seems sparse. Barry Harper (2000) found that tall women had a 5% disadvantage in marriage prospects compared to women of average height (short men were at a 7% disadvantage). Eisenberg et al (1984) found that mothers assigned harsher punishments to hypothetical tall girls (but not tall boys).
I'm not even going to pretend I don't have a bias here. I'm short. I wish I was taller. I'm significantly bothered by my height. I have considered extreme and possibly unsafe measures to increase my height. In terms of self image, height is my stumbling block -- and I'm not even that short. For a man, I fall well below the 5th percentile, but I'm between the 45-50th percentile for a woman - very, very close to average. I don't think I hold other people to my unreasonable standards for height, but I'm never sure how much I'm participating in the social conspiracy against people of short stature.
livejournal version
Wednesday, May 9, 2007
Gender Self-Stereotyping
The ability to pick and choose among stereotyped attributes in order to preserve self-esteem is called "selective self-stereotyping." Oswald and Lindstedt (2006) found differences in which gender personality stereotypes men and women applied to themselves. Men showed no difference between how much they thought positive stereotypes were true of themselves vs. true of the group of "all men"; women were more likely to apply positive stereotypes to themselves than to the group of "all women." Both groups thought negative stereotypes were more true of the groups than of themselves.
It's a sing-a-long: "You're so vain. You probably think this post is about you." Actually, if you think this post is about you, then it isn't. I'm as guilty of it as anyone else: "all people in this group are like this, except me." After all, I'm a special and unique snowflake, right? However, it's interesting that men seemed to think better of other men than women did of other women. I expected this to be explained by women having more negative stereotypes to work with than men. To my surprise, 51.6% of the female stereotypes were negative, compared to 62.2% negative for male stereotypes.
livejournal version
It's a sing-a-long: "You're so vain. You probably think this post is about you." Actually, if you think this post is about you, then it isn't. I'm as guilty of it as anyone else: "all people in this group are like this, except me." After all, I'm a special and unique snowflake, right? However, it's interesting that men seemed to think better of other men than women did of other women. I expected this to be explained by women having more negative stereotypes to work with than men. To my surprise, 51.6% of the female stereotypes were negative, compared to 62.2% negative for male stereotypes.
livejournal version
Tuesday, May 8, 2007
Jennifer Sullivan's rats
Jennifer Sullivan, shown in
this Medical College of
Georgia photo, received the
Merck New Investigator
Award in 2006 and the
American Physiological
Society's New Investigator
Award in 2007 for her
work on rat models of
hypertension. Photo by
Toni Baker
After menopause, Sullivan has found that blood pressure and related kidney problems worsen rapidly for female humans and rats, becoming worse than they are for age-matched males. Sullivan's findings may have implications for the treatment of hypertension in older women. "A lot of women are on these drugs [angiotensin receptor blockers and ace inhibitors] too and I'm not sure it's doing them a lot of good," she says.
Since my own blood pressure has always been on the lower end, even after it was raised by testosterone treatment, I don't know much about the effects of hypertension on renal health. My own kidneys have always been in more danger from bladder infections. However, according to WebMD high blood pressure and diabetes are the most common causes of kidney problems.
livejournal version
Monday, May 7, 2007
Internet Video Usage
iMedia Connection's Michael Estrin writes that women are watching internet video less than their male counterparts, according to a recent survey by eMarketer. Debra Aho Williamson, the report's author, was quoted in TelecomTV as saying that "women don’t feel they have the time for, or don’t want to have the time for" time-wasting internet videos.
However, women do seem to have time for social networking, as they outnumber men on Myspace and in general internet usage, Williamson told Australian IT News. In the Australian article, Williamson also says that age is a factor in watching internet video, with female teens being as enthusiastic about internet video as their male counterparts. In 2000, Bruce Bimber said that "one-half of the digital divide between men and women on the Internet is fundamentally gender related", with the remainder being explained by socioeconomic factors, and predicted that the gender gap in use might narrow.
While the survey results are no doubt interesting, Williamson's explanations are a catalog of gender stereotypes. I'm not saying that the stereotypes aren't true; I'm just amused at what feels like a list of Difference Blog topics. She says in one story that women are "supreme communicators" and in another that "men are more visual." She also suggests that women don't have time for some types of internet content (videos, extended game-play) due to juggling "child-care responsibilities."
livejournal version
However, women do seem to have time for social networking, as they outnumber men on Myspace and in general internet usage, Williamson told Australian IT News. In the Australian article, Williamson also says that age is a factor in watching internet video, with female teens being as enthusiastic about internet video as their male counterparts. In 2000, Bruce Bimber said that "one-half of the digital divide between men and women on the Internet is fundamentally gender related", with the remainder being explained by socioeconomic factors, and predicted that the gender gap in use might narrow.
While the survey results are no doubt interesting, Williamson's explanations are a catalog of gender stereotypes. I'm not saying that the stereotypes aren't true; I'm just amused at what feels like a list of Difference Blog topics. She says in one story that women are "supreme communicators" and in another that "men are more visual." She also suggests that women don't have time for some types of internet content (videos, extended game-play) due to juggling "child-care responsibilities."
livejournal version
Friday, May 4, 2007
Vacation Sex
Both men and women appear to behave differently when they are on vacation. Las Vegas is especially noted for this phenomenon, even incorporating it into their advertising campaign: "What Happens in Vegas, Stays in Vegas." In cases of sex while on vacation, there's a chance that the slogan could be misrepresenting the truth. The consequences of sex while on vacation have fallen under scrutiny more than once.
Ward and Plourde's 2006 review discusses the complex relationship between travel and sexually transmitted diseases. Benotsch et al (2006) found that nearly half of men who have sex with men interviewed had sex while on vacation, with high rates of unprotected sex, sex with persons of unknown HIV status and substance use. Maticka-Tyndale et al (2003) found that Australian youths on vacation reported casual sex while on vacation at the rate of 60% for males, 40% for females, in what the authors call "situational disinhibition."
"Situational disinhibition" would be a great slogan for Vegas, too. Doesn't it roll trippingly off the tongue? I absolutely fell in love with the phrase while researching today's post. My experience with vacations outside of Las Vegas is limited; I found something I liked and stuck with it. However, I do think that situational disinhibition is the thing that I really like about vacation in general, and Las Vegas in particular. I'm usually very strict about not lowering my inhibitions; there are many who'd suggest that they're low enough already. However, the inhibitions I lower in Las Vegas aren't so much sexual as financial and gustatory, which is probably for the best.
Dan4th is on vacation. This post was created in advance.
livejournal version
Ward and Plourde's 2006 review discusses the complex relationship between travel and sexually transmitted diseases. Benotsch et al (2006) found that nearly half of men who have sex with men interviewed had sex while on vacation, with high rates of unprotected sex, sex with persons of unknown HIV status and substance use. Maticka-Tyndale et al (2003) found that Australian youths on vacation reported casual sex while on vacation at the rate of 60% for males, 40% for females, in what the authors call "situational disinhibition."
"Situational disinhibition" would be a great slogan for Vegas, too. Doesn't it roll trippingly off the tongue? I absolutely fell in love with the phrase while researching today's post. My experience with vacations outside of Las Vegas is limited; I found something I liked and stuck with it. However, I do think that situational disinhibition is the thing that I really like about vacation in general, and Las Vegas in particular. I'm usually very strict about not lowering my inhibitions; there are many who'd suggest that they're low enough already. However, the inhibitions I lower in Las Vegas aren't so much sexual as financial and gustatory, which is probably for the best.
Dan4th is on vacation. This post was created in advance.
livejournal version
Thursday, May 3, 2007
Motivations and Game choice
Men and women seem to have different motivations for gambling, as discussed in the problem gambling post on Monday. Walker et al (2005) finds that both men and women seem to enjoy the communal aspect of gambling, but that men also enjoy the risk-taking and learning aspects of games, whereas women seem to view the games as escapist. These differences seem to manifest in different game choices, but attempts to quantify these choices are inconclusive.
Laplante et al (2006) examine some research that suggest that men are more drawn to table games and track betting, whereas women prefer bingo and slots. Peter Gray (2004) found that higher interest in gambling seems to be prevalent in men cross-culturally. In the U.S. and Australia, women seem to play slots more than men do, but men seem to prefer higher-stakes slot machines when they play them. However, Gray is quick to point out that the results are not robust on these differences.
I've never really been able to get into playing slots. It just seems incredibly boring to me. I tend to enjoy table games quite a lot, but although this is my 6th trip to Vegas in 4 years, I still haven't played a single hand of blackjack. I just never got around to it. The communal aspect of table games is what I enjoy about casino gambling, and that's really doesn't feel accessible to me at the slots. At the tables, you observe the wins and losses of your fellow players, and everyone is playing against the house, so you're sort of rooting for each other.
Dan4th is on vacation. This post was created in advance.
livejournal version
Laplante et al (2006) examine some research that suggest that men are more drawn to table games and track betting, whereas women prefer bingo and slots. Peter Gray (2004) found that higher interest in gambling seems to be prevalent in men cross-culturally. In the U.S. and Australia, women seem to play slots more than men do, but men seem to prefer higher-stakes slot machines when they play them. However, Gray is quick to point out that the results are not robust on these differences.
I've never really been able to get into playing slots. It just seems incredibly boring to me. I tend to enjoy table games quite a lot, but although this is my 6th trip to Vegas in 4 years, I still haven't played a single hand of blackjack. I just never got around to it. The communal aspect of table games is what I enjoy about casino gambling, and that's really doesn't feel accessible to me at the slots. At the tables, you observe the wins and losses of your fellow players, and everyone is playing against the house, so you're sort of rooting for each other.
Dan4th is on vacation. This post was created in advance.
livejournal version
Wednesday, May 2, 2007
Legalized Prostitution
It is a common misconception that prostitution is legal in Las Vegas; a misconception that certain aspects of the tourist industry promote. In fact, while Nevada is the only state in the U.S. with legal prostitution, according to Wikipedia, it is only legal in counties with a population of under 400,000 (approximately the size of Miami, Florida), and not in major cities.
Brents and Hausbeck (2005) interviewed workers in Nevada brothels to determine the prevalence of, and prevention measures against, risks to workers and communities in this context, and conclude that legalization decreases risk of interpersonal violence, damage to the community, and transmission of disease (all three being factors that the authors define as types of violence). Interestingly, Albert et al (1995) found that Nevadan sex workers reported much lower rates of condom failure than the general population, suggesting that practice and familiarity are a major factor in the efficacy of this method of prevention.
According to the The Nevada Brothels website: "couples and single women are welcome at Brothels" -- however, the workers available are all female. Male prostitutes for female clients are still a futuristic dream. "Hollywood Madam" Heidi Fleiss has been talking about opening an all-male, heterosexual brothel since at least 2005 (Las Vegas Weekly). Why the brothel would be exclusive heterosexual is unclear, since Nevada's sodomy laws were repealed in 1993. It is also unclear how Fleiss's workers would be able to provide the state-required "weekly cervical sample." An HBO documentary on the opening of the "Stud Farm" is apparently in the works, according to the New York Blade (4/20/2007)
Dan4th is on vacation. This post was created in advance.
Livejournal version
Brents and Hausbeck (2005) interviewed workers in Nevada brothels to determine the prevalence of, and prevention measures against, risks to workers and communities in this context, and conclude that legalization decreases risk of interpersonal violence, damage to the community, and transmission of disease (all three being factors that the authors define as types of violence). Interestingly, Albert et al (1995) found that Nevadan sex workers reported much lower rates of condom failure than the general population, suggesting that practice and familiarity are a major factor in the efficacy of this method of prevention.
According to the The Nevada Brothels website: "couples and single women are welcome at Brothels" -- however, the workers available are all female. Male prostitutes for female clients are still a futuristic dream. "Hollywood Madam" Heidi Fleiss has been talking about opening an all-male, heterosexual brothel since at least 2005 (Las Vegas Weekly). Why the brothel would be exclusive heterosexual is unclear, since Nevada's sodomy laws were repealed in 1993. It is also unclear how Fleiss's workers would be able to provide the state-required "weekly cervical sample." An HBO documentary on the opening of the "Stud Farm" is apparently in the works, according to the New York Blade (4/20/2007)
Dan4th is on vacation. This post was created in advance.
Livejournal version
Tuesday, May 1, 2007
Feminism and Las Vegas
Las Vegas has a status as "Sin City" that is nearly mythical. Sadly, "sin" is often associated with images of womanhood that are not perceived as empowered. Therefore, the social environment in an island of accepted female objectification is a rich topic for feminist writers:
Living, as I do, in the possibly the most liberal part of a liberal-leaning state, I often forget that standards of femininity are more strictly policed in other parts of the country and the world. Also, with Vegas being a "party town", even women from my region are more apt to dress up when in Sin City. The result is that going to Las Vegas is very much like stepping into an action movie for me. All the women seem overly made up, overly dressed, overly, overtly feminized. As a vacation destination, I can accept this as part of the illusion, and part of the charm. Living there would probably be unbearable for me. On the other hand, I am looking at Vegas with "vacation eyes"; I tend to notice only what's new and exciting.
Dan4th is on vacation. This post was created in advance.
livejournal version
- Joanne Goodwin (2002) focuses on showgirls and waitresses during and post-WWII.
- Lois Helmbold (2005) describes sexism in the students and organization of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas
(however, see Brents et al (2005) for counterpoint). - Audrey Dentith (2004) studies the effect of growing up in this environment on adolescent girls.
- Karen Weber (1998) examines the career path of women executives in the casino industry.
Living, as I do, in the possibly the most liberal part of a liberal-leaning state, I often forget that standards of femininity are more strictly policed in other parts of the country and the world. Also, with Vegas being a "party town", even women from my region are more apt to dress up when in Sin City. The result is that going to Las Vegas is very much like stepping into an action movie for me. All the women seem overly made up, overly dressed, overly, overtly feminized. As a vacation destination, I can accept this as part of the illusion, and part of the charm. Living there would probably be unbearable for me. On the other hand, I am looking at Vegas with "vacation eyes"; I tend to notice only what's new and exciting.
Dan4th is on vacation. This post was created in advance.
livejournal version
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