Author Archives: Dr. Naomi

Outting Athletes & Promoting Equality?

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Here’s a thoughtful article written by one of my favorite columnists, LZ Granderson, who writes for ESPN and CNN.  Granderson is gay, so he’s writing from a personal and professional perspective.

He asks here if reporters are, in fact, contributing to the idea of being gay or lesbian as shameful by not reporting on gay or lesbian athlete’s love lives in the same way that heterosexual athlete’s romances are covered (e.g., the extensive coverage of Tiger Wood’s affairs). 

On the other hand, given the bigotry that still exists, Granderson acknowledges that these reporting decisions protect the lives of athletes who are gay or lesbian.  It’s a great question of respecting the rights of individuals or promoting the rights of a group as a whole, since increased coverage demonstrates the acceptance and normalcy of a variety of sexualities.

This article reflects how gender is created through how we culturally link gender to sexuality.

Halo 4 devs speak out against sexism

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All you gamers out there will be interested in this article.  This article talks about how the way female characters are created (e.g., consistently dressed in revealing clothing & very sexualized) promotes a sexist gaming culture.  Emboldened after reading Lean In, one executive spoke out against this and resigned from a high-profile position in protest.

In better news, Halo 4 developers have stated they will start banning players who make “gender-specific slanderous comments” and are working to promote a less sexist online player’s community (which is important from a moral grounds and business perspective too if they want to expand their customer base).

Men Earning Less than Wives Struggle

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Looking for proof of the effects of the gendered norms we’ve discussed about masculinity?  How about evidence showing that even when it means more money, freedom, and time with family, many men feel guilt and depression when they earn less than female partners?

A common characteristic many men experience with masculine socialization is the idea that their value comes from their professional successes and ability to provide financially.  This article is a great example that men’s choices are restricted in significant ways by norms that focus worthiness in such a narrow way.  These norms have effects on the men’s physical and emotional health, along with their relationships.

Thank You, Sheryl Sandberg

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Interesting blog from a stay-at-home Mom in response to Sheryl Sandberg’s Lean In.  She speaks powerfully of the joys of mothering, its importance in her life, and her conflicted feelings about leaving her career behind for a while.  While I can’t say that I agree that, as she states, “socializaton and forced gender roles have nothing” (emphasis mine) to do with the joy she experiencing in her children, this doesn’t take away from the depth or the authenticity of the feelings.  Just because we’re socialized in a particular way doesn’t make our joys and sorrows associated with that socialization less authentic.

I think this also points to the need to value choices to parent, work, or a combination of these equally, regardless of the sex of the parent.  All three roles are vitally important personally and at a societal level.

Facebook Rules Changing to Address Gender-Related Hate Speech

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Facebook has allowed pages and posts that celebrate assaulting women.  For example, from the article:

“Groups and images with allegedly humorous titles like “Raping a Pregnant B***h and Telling Your Friends You Had a Threesome” have always been only a click away and, under Facebook’s content policy until now, stood a better chance of surviving moderator review than photos of breastfeeding babies did.”

Click here to read an article describing the problem and how a social activist campaign has motivated Facebook to review and update their content rules.

Girls & Math/Science/Technology Education

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Here are a couple of recent articles about girls and math/science/technology education:

International Day of the Girl: Why Science & Math Programs Matter

Make Britain Count: Are girls really worse at math than boys?

This is the White House outreach program to encourage girls in STEM education discussed in the online lecture.