Gender identity

Through this research, I provide quantitative evidence on the use of gender identity pronouns in business communication as it relates to sexual stigma theory and psychological safety theory in the workplace. This theoretically grounded, empirical investigation uncovers what impact, if any, psychological safety has on the use of gender identity pronouns in the workplace. My research measures the degree to which respondents feel psychologically safe enough to use their gender identity pronouns in a work context and which other factors (such as age cohort or the sociopolitical leanings of the company where they work) impact their decision to do so.

This thesis explores how gender and sexuality are expressed in southern Manabí Province, Ecuador. The study employs ethnographic methods to recruit local people who identify as LGBTQ (called LGBTI regionally) to participate in interviews on sexuality and gender identity/expression. Based on this research, I explore the construction of “gay” in this part of Ecuador as identity and performance; additionally, reflective viewpoints of those who self-identify as “gay” are thematically incorporated. The term “gay” is used to describe a spectrum of identities that include: homosexual, transformista, travestí, transexual, and transgénero. These identities are not necessarily static, as many individuals traverse categories in a culturally specific progression that I describe. I propose that coastal Ecuadorians utilize a structuring of sexualities and genders within the region that challenges Western LGBTQ+ labels. This research suggests a new regional depiction of non-conforming identities and their manifestations through language, shared strife, communal beliefs, and individual experience.

This thesis examines the way several evangelical Christian universities (and evangelicalism more broadly) speak about and conceive of sexuality and gender in order to consider implications for their students. It argues that these universities consider nonheterosexual, non-cisgendered identities to be incompatibile with Christian identity and, consequently, grounds for denial of subjectivity. It analyzes the language of student handbooks and the universities’ rhetorical self-positionings and stagings necessary to maintain authority while engaging and exploring the lived experiences of several queeridentifying alumni—each of whom express feelings of “dehumanization” and cognitive dissonance. Finally, it considers how those subjected to messages of incompatible identities reconcile claiming both Christian and queer identities simultaneously.

This thesis identifies the price inconstancies between male and female consumer personal care products, such as razors and deodorants. Economic research suggests consumers purchase products based on their willingness to pay, which depends upon satisfaction granted from the product. If this is true, the question must be asked: what grants these consumers high satisfaction from product purchasing? To answer this question, this thesis investigates the rhetorical effect that stems from product design. Using a rhetorical criticism technique, I analyze how product design allows consumers to project their gender identity. I assert that consumers are interpellated to choose products based on their gender. Once this interpellation takes place, a constitutive rhetoric formed by the product’s design already assumes the consumer’s wants by embedding masculine or feminine ideologies. The analysis shows product design perpetuates clear gender dichotomy and fortifies the belief of gender binaries.

The sexualization of girls is an ongoing issue that has garnered much attention in
recent years, with one contributing factor, media, becoming an ever-increasing part of
children’s lives. This study explored four questions: How do mothers and teachers
perceive the media’s influence on young girls’ identity development? To what extent do
these caregivers engage young girls in analyzing media messages? What observed
behaviors of 4-year old girls indicate media’s influence? and What are caregivers
interpretations and responses to these behaviors? Analyzing the perceptions of mothers
and female teachers of 4-year old girls contributes to a better understanding of how girls
are influenced, both by caregivers’ actions and by media consumed.
Twelve mothers and female early childhood teachers from three South Florida
preschools were interviewed to better understand how girls are influenced by media, and
to gain a more holistic perspective of the potential impact of media on young girls’
behaviors and their emerging understanding of what it means to be a girl today. The findings indicate that mothers and female teachers perceive media to be influential in the
lives of girls, both in terms of general child development and young girls’ gender identity
development. The participants are observing behaviors in their 4-year old girls that
indicate media’s influence; these behaviors include sexualized dancing, attitude and
language changes, and requests for sexualized clothing and beauty products. Although
these mothers and teachers do not yet help girls analyze media messages, they do,
however, engage in significant guidance as they interpret and respond to the observed
behaviors. These findings reflect a need for media literacy education for parents and
teachers, as well as comprehensive sexualization awareness and prevention education for
children, parents, and teachers.

This thesis explores the implications of visibility and invisibility of transgender people, their constructed bodies, and how these bodies are used for both personal
empowerment and education. By using various gender theorists for support, I argue that
the transgender male body obtains power through visibility. Despite the many obstacles
transgender males face, putting their bodies in a space of visibility gives them both
personal power and the power to educate others about their bodies and sexuality. In doing
a study of the human body and the different definitions applied to it, I show how we, as a
society, are restricted by gender binaries and how the transgender body serves as a gap
between the socially-constructed terms. Ultimately, transgender people are able to break
through these barriers by subverting the definitions and meaning of “male” and “female.”

A self-discrepancy is a cognitive incompatibility between a conception of the desired self and the perception of the actual self (Higgins, 1987; Rogers & Dymond, 1954). The purpose of this dissertation is to gain a better understanding of the effects of gender self-discrepancies on the personal and social adjustment of preadolescent children. I propose that gender-related stereotypes and self-appraisals can be examined within a self-discrepancy framework. Preadolescent children (N=195) completed a variety of self- and peer-report questionnaires in the fall and spring of the school year. Children reported gender stereotypes and self-appraisals for four attributes (body image, athletics, dominance, and popularity). Measures of gender identity and of adjustment were also collected. Results suggested that children who possess a gender self discrepancy are at risk for maladjustment, especially internalizing difficulties and
victimization by both girls and boys.

Social cognitive factors in early sex-role development were studied by examining judgments of toy appropriateness for boys versus girls under both speeded and delayed response conditions, used as indices of automatic and reflective gender-schema processing, respectively. Subjects aged 3 to 7 viewed photographs of sex-typed and neutral toys and indicated either immediately or after a 2.8 sec. delay who usually plays with them. A toy choice task assessed the children's own sex-typed toy preferences. Flexibility judgments (number of neutral responses) increased in a linear fashion with age to neutral-toy stimuli. In contrast, flexibility with respect to sex-typed toys was generally low. The prediction that automatic-mode processing would be more strongly related to children's own sex-typing than is their reflective-mode processing was supported only for 3-year-old boys, in whom automatic-mode stereotyped judgments of feminine toys were linked to strength of sex-typed toy preferences.

A gender self-socialization model was conceptualized, wherein gender identity and idiographic gender stereotypes conjointly influence children's adoption of gendered behavior (i.e., gender typing). Further, children differ in their beliefs of sex differences as immutable versus fluid (entity vs. incremental theory); and it was hypothesized that entity beliefs would moderate the self-socialization process. Children (N=305, M age 10.8 years) responded to gender identity, gender stereotype, and self-efficacy measures. Two kinds of gender typing were computed. Personal gender typing was the correlation between personal stereotypes and self-efficacy; consensus gender typing was the correlation between the same-sex peer stereotypes and self-efficacy. Results indicated that gender typicality and gender contentedness were associated with personal gender typing, and felt pressure against other-gender behavior was related to consensus gender typing. Entity theory strengthened the relation between gender identity and gender typing. Results support the self-socialization model.

Children's (Grades 4--8) gender identity was examined as a predictor of academic self-concept, achievement, attitudes, and conduct. Three gender identity components were assessed: (a) feelings of being typical of one's gender, (b) feeling content with one's gender assignment, and (c) feeling pressured to conform to one's gender. It was expected that gender typicality and contentedness would be positive influences, whereas felt pressure would be a negative influence. Results were partially supportive, but showed that relationships varied substantially with child gender and the gender-normative relevance of a given academic domain (math vs. English). It was concluded that gender identity factors have importance not only for children's personal/social adjustment but also for their academic outcomes.