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100 Gender Research Topics For Academic Papers

Gender research topics are very popular across the world. Students in different academic disciplines are often asked to write papers and essays about these topics. Some of the disciplines that require learners to write about gender topics include:

Sociology Psychology Gender studies Business studies

When pursuing higher education in these disciplines, learners can choose what to write about from a wide range of gender issues topics. However, the wide range of issues that learners can research and write about when it comes to gender makes choosing what to write about difficult. Here is a list of the top 100 gender and sexuality topics that students can consider.

Controversial Gender Research Topics

Do you like the idea of writing about something controversial? If yes, this category has some of the best gender topics to write about. They touch on issues like gender stereotypes and issues that are generally associated with members of a specific gender. Here are some of the best controversial gender topics that you can write about.

How human behavior is affected by gender misconceptions
How are straight marriages influenced by gay marriages
Explain the most common sex-role stereotypes
What are the effects of workplace stereotypes?
What issues affect modern feminism?
How sexuality affects sex-role stereotyping
How does the media break sex-role stereotypes
Explain the dual approach to equality between women and men
What are the most outdated sex-role stereotypes
Are men better than women?
How equal are men and women?
How do politics and sexuality relate?
How can films defy gender-based stereotypes
What are the advantages of being a woman?
What are the disadvantages of being a woman?
What are the advantages of being a man?
Discuss the disadvantages of being a woman
Should governments legalize prostitution?
Explain how sexual orientation came about?
Women communicate better than men
Women are the stronger sex
Explain how the world can be made better for women
Discuss the future gender norms
How important are sex roles in society
Discuss the transgender and feminism theory
How does feminism help in the creation of alternative women’s culture?
Gender stereotypes in education and science
Discuss racial variations when it comes to gender-related attitudes
Women are better leaders
Men can’t survive without women

This category also has some of the best gender debate topics. However, learners should be keen to pick topics they are interested in. This will enable them to ensure that they enjoy the research and writing process.

Interesting Gender Inequality Topics

Gender-based inequality is witnessed almost every day. As such, most learners are conversant with gender inequality research paper topics. However, it’s crucial to pick topics that are devoid of discrimination of members of a specific gender. Here are examples of gender inequality essay topics.

Sex discrimination aspects in schools
How to identify inequality between sexes
Sex discrimination causes
The inferior role played by women in relationships
Discuss sex differences in the education system
How can gender discrimination be identified in sports?
Can inequality issues between men and women be solved through education?
Why are professional opportunities for women in sports limited?
Why are there fewer women in leadership positions?
Discuss gender inequality when it comes to work-family balance
How does gender-based discrimination affect early childhood development?
Can sex discrimination be reduced by technology?
How can sex discrimination be identified in a marriage?
Explain where sex discrimination originates from
Discuss segregation and motherhood in labor markets
Explain classroom sex discrimination
How can inequality in American history be justified?
Discuss different types of sex discrimination in modern society
Discuss various factors that cause gender-based inequality
Discuss inequality in human resource practices and processes
Why is inequality between women and men so rampant in developing countries?
How can governments bridge gender gaps between women and men?
Work-home conflict is a sign of inequality between women and men
Explain why women are less wealthy than men
How can workplace gender-based inequality be addressed?

After choosing the gender inequality essay topics they like, students should research, brainstorm ideas, and come up with an outline before they start writing. This will ensure that their essays have engaging introductions and convincing bodies, as well as, strong conclusions.

Amazing Gender Roles Topics for Academic Papers and Essays

This category has ideas that slightly differ from gender equality topics. That’s because equality or lack of it can be measured by considering the representation of both genders in different roles. As such, some gender roles essay topics might not require tiresome and extensive research to write about. Nevertheless, learners should take time to gather the necessary information required to write about these topics. Here are some of the best gender topics for discussion when it comes to the roles played by men and women in society.

Describe gender identity
Describe how a women-dominated society would be
Compare gender development theories
How equally important are maternity and paternity levees for babies?
How can gender-parity be achieved when it comes to parenting?
Discuss the issues faced by modern feminism
How do men differ from women emotionally?
Discuss gender identity and sexual orientation
Is investing in the education of girls beneficial?
Explain the adoption of gender-role stereotyped behaviors
Discuss games and toys for boys and girls
Describe patriarchal attitudes in families
Explain patriarchal stereotypes in family relationships
What roles do women and men play in politics?
Discuss sex equity and academic careers
Compare military career opportunities for both genders
Discuss the perception of women in the military
Describe feminine traits
Discus gender-related issues faced by women in gaming
Men should play major roles in the welfare of their children
Explain how the aging population affects the economic welfare of women?
What has historically determined modern differences in gender roles?
Does society need stereotyped gender roles?
Does nature have a role to play in stereotyped gender roles?
The development and adoption of gender roles

The list of gender essay topics that are based on the roles of each sex can be quite extensive. Nevertheless, students should be keen to pick interesting gender topics in this category.

Important Gender Issues Topics for Research Paper

If you want to write a paper or essay on an important gender issue, this category has the best ideas for you. Students can write about different issues that affect individuals of different genders. For instance, this category can include gender wage gap essay topics. Wage variation is a common issue that affects women in different countries. Some of the best gender research paper topics in this category include:

Discuss gender mainstreaming purpose
Discuss the issue of gender-based violence
Why is the wage gap so common in most countries?
How can society promote equality in opportunities for women and men in sports?
Explain what it means to be transgender
Discuss the best practices of gender-neutral management
What is women’s empowerment?
Discuss how human trafficking affects women
How problematic is gender-blindness for women?
What does the glass ceiling mean in management?
Why are women at a higher risk of sexual exploitation and violence?
Why is STEM uptake low among women?
How does ideology affect the determination of relations between genders
How are sporting women fighting for equality?
Discuss sports, women, and media institutions
How can cities be made safer for girls and women?
Discuss international trends in the empowerment of women
How do women contribute to the world economy?
Explain how feminism on different social relations unites men and women as groups
Explain how gender diversity influence scientific discovery and innovation

This category has some of the most interesting women’s and gender studies paper topics. However, most of them require extensive research to come up with hard facts and figures that will make academic papers or essays more interesting.

Students in high schools and colleges can pick what to write about from a wide range of gender studies research topics. However, some gender studies topics might not be ideal for some learners based on the given essay prompt. Therefore, make sure that you have understood what the educator wants you to write about before you pick a topic. Our experts can help you choose a good thesis topic . Choosing the right gender studies topics enables learners to answer the asked questions properly. This impresses educators to award them top grades.

40 Ideas for Women Issues and Gender Research Paper Topics

Read also: A Guide to Buying Term Papers Online

The history of gender
The difference between sex and gender
Women erased from history: who they were and what they did?
Gender imbalance in China and India: the causes of it
Stereotype gender roles: why did society need them and does it need them now?
Sexual revolution and the concept of gender
Can gender be changed during a person’s life?
Intergender relations
The development and goal of gender studies
How many genders exist in humanity?
The #MeeToo movement and its consequences
Gender discrimination laws all over the world
What is sexism and gender discrimination?
Does the backwards discrimination exist?
Expected gender traits: nature versus nurture
The physiological differences and gender
Gender transitioning
Gender and family issues
Gender and sexual harassment
Sex, gender and leadership
Gender and parenting
Gender roles in media and literature
Feminism movement
Do men need to fight for their rights as feminist women do?
Does sex still sell? Gender in advertising
Gender and pornography. Fem-porn: does it exist?
Gender and prostitution
Cognitive differences between genders
Typically male and typically female nonverbal communication
Women and “glass ceiling”
Maternity and paternity leaves. Are they equally important for the baby?
Abortions, pregnancy and gender
Internal misogyny and misandry: causes and ways to overcome
Childfree movement and gender
Sexual behaviour, marriage strategies and gender
The toys segregation and sexual education: shall it still be different for boys and girls?
Gender dysphoria
Beauty standards and gender
Gender and power: male and female bosses
Sexual orientation and gender

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Gender Survey Questions For Questionnaires

Understanding different genders’ unique viewpoints and experiences is critical for businesses, researchers, and organizations in the modern age. When conducting surveys or questionnaires, it is critical to include gender survey questions that are respectful, inclusive, and yield meaningful insights.

In this blog, we will discuss the significance of gender questionnaires and give you a strategy for creating inclusive and effective gender questionnaires.

Content Index

What is the gender survey question?

Importance of gender survey questions in a questionnaire, why is there a need for more than two gender options in a questionnaire, transgender is an important category now, best practices for asking gender questions in a questionnaire.

Gender survey questions are a questionnaire that is asked of a participant to understand what is the gender of the respondent.

Analysis of the survey responses and considering gender as a parameter will enable a researcher to evaluate how gender plays a role in the participant’s choices and help him deduce a pattern.

Gender questionnaire questions are used in various types of research, such as business, social science research, etc. A survey question is one of the various types of survey questions that are most commonly asked in surveys.

Previously, only male and female options used to appear in such questions. However, with so many policies coming into place and with people accepting their genders freely, there are many more options. Gender questionnaire questions are sensitive. However, these can enable the researcher to analyze their data more accurately in their questionnaires .

With the growing importance of gender equality, it is important to phrase these questions in such a way that they do not offend any participants and provide a sense of inclusiveness to all gender categories.

A good survey design means it will accomplish two things: accuracy and inclusiveness. A questionnaire has to be designed so that it can collect accurate data using the best practices for survey designs and be inclusive at the same time.

The questionnaire’s objective should be to make the participant feel that their opinion matters and will be valued as much as any other participant, without any biases.

LEARN ABOUT: Conformity Bias

The old method, where the gender questionnaire provided only two options, namely male and female, suggests that everyone falls under only these two categories, which is against the two things mentioned above.

It suggests discrimination against transgender and non-conforming respondents, and many times the results achieved will not be accurate as there was no option given to the respondent. However, using a five-category question or a multi-step approach for gender data allows the participant to choose from various categories and also has the freedom to write an open-ended response.

Such an option provides the researcher with much more accurate data and makes the respondent feel valued and respected. Furthermore, it will also increase the response rate for the questionnaire because the participant does not feel he is forced to answer certain questions, especially if they are private.

While conducting a survey, it doesn’t hurt to know your survey respondents a little more, like their age, sex, gender, etc. Questions based on gender have a precious impact on the results. It will enable you to derive results and study behavioral patterns according to gender and to make wise decisions for the purpose you are conducting your research.

Asking gender questions enables you to ensure that your sample is representative or to study the gender effects on your research. Thus, using the age-old methods of asking gender questions of two options, if not altered, will keep giving you statistical data, which is not accurate, skipping important variations of responses based on gender and limiting understanding of the research .

Today’s social science research , public issues regarding gender discrimination, the rising consciousness of gender equality, and the movements around the world elucidate that giving two options or categorizing humans into two categories is outdated and ethically wrong.

Furthermore, considering the purpose of the survey, the analyses can be much more accurate if the demographic questions can be segmented into more than two categories.

For example, A cosmetic brand wants to survey to gather feedback about one of their products to help them market their product appropriately, depending on the audience. The feedback from a male will be different than that of a female.

Furthermore, other categories, such as transgender, will also have a different opinion about the product and are also a considerable target audience for the cosmetic brand.

Hence, a survey including gender questions having multiple choice options will give the company much more accurate data and make it easier to segment its audience and carry out appropriate marketing strategies based on the gender of the participants.

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In recent years, there has been an increase in the number of transgenders, and they accommodate a significant portion of the population now.

According to a 2016 study conducted in the United States, it was observed that 0.6% of all adults, or about 1.4 million people identify as transgender. So, on average, it is wise to expect that if a survey is sent to 500 participants, there will be at least 3 transgenders among them. Also, some states in the US have a higher density of transgender than 0.6%.

Furthermore, it has also been proven that transgender is not a trait you get once you are an adult, but it is a deeply held identity right from childhood. Hence, addressing transgender in gender questionnaire is vital to get accurate demographic information without offending the participants and also showcases non-discrimination.

Furthermore, multiple gender categories are evolving; hence, we can see many survey designers trying to implement these in their surveys. With so many options, it has become difficult for survey researchers to understand the need to collect valuable demographic data and balance it with appropriate gender choices.

Although, while wording the question, a researcher has to ensure not to offend the participant and be respectful.

Following is an example of the number of choices that can be given in a gender choice question:

Young woman
Agender (no gender identity)
Androgynous (not one specific sex)
Gender fluid (different genders at different times)
Bigender (two gender identities)
Demi girl (partly girl)
Demiboy (partly boy)
Non-binary (not male or female)
Genderqueer (non-traditional gender distinction)
Trigender (shifts in three genders)
Intersex (physical, hormonal, or genetic features of male
Rather not say
Other (please specify)

Considering the long list of genders accepted in today’s world, it is difficult to understand which have to be included and which are not.

Although inclusivity of all options is vital, certainly, you cannot use the entire list, as surveys cannot be monotonous or exhaustive and should not take much time for the participant.

Moreover, you have a legal obligation to collect only the needed information.

With data collection compliances (GDPR) coming into place, there will be tighter regulations to handle sensitive personal information. To understand when, how, and why to use a gender question for a questionnaire, you need to ask the following questions to yourself before designing a survey .

Is there a need to ask the question at all?
Should I ask about orientation and gender identity?
How do I word my question?
Does asking the question provide any business value?

One major confusion many people face is understanding the distinction between sex, sexual orientation, and gender. A researcher has to make sure the three questions are addressed separately. The distinction between these three points is as follows:

This refers to the anatomical characteristic of a person. When asking these questions, you should use options such as Male, Female, and Intersex.

Gender identity refers to what the person feels he is in a psychological sense, regardless of what sex a person was assigned at birth.

Sexual orientation questions

This refers to emotional, physical, and sexual attraction to other people and does not fall under the gender question category but is affiliated with it. Words like gay/lesbian, bisexual/pansexual, and heterosexual can be used to discuss sexual preference. Please note it is advised not to use homosexual as it is frowned upon by most people.

There are many ways a gender identity question can be worded to suit specific needs. A couple of approaches can be used to ask current gender identity questions in a survey.

1st approach

If you find there is a need to ask a gender question, the following can be used.

Others (Please specify)
Other (Please specify)
Not applicable

Using this approach enables a researcher to include transgender categories and also gives enough importance to mention any other gender identity.

Moreover, using a multi-step approach is much faster to complete for a participant than using a single-step approach. Furthermore, adding ‘rather not say’ gives the participant a feeling that this is voluntary and not a forced question, which can give a good response rate for the survey.

2nd approach

If needed, an open-ended question can be asked.

Gender?_____________

You may need to conduct text analysis for such a question; however, it is all-inclusive and will allow the participant to choose their own identity.

Apart from the decision to choose the approach, there are a few points that a researcher should not forget while using gender questions in a questionnaire. The following points will help you create a good survey design .

Make sure you can justify why you are asking the question.
Take into account the privacy and comfort of your participant over anything else.
Maintain data security.
Maintain anonymity of personal data.
Try and include open-ended questions to give enough freedom to explain who they are.
All gender questions are optional.

Understanding and recognizing our varied cultures requires gender-related questions in questionnaires. We can better understand gender identity-related issues by conducting inclusive and comprehensive questionnaires. Remember to offer options for different identities and respect respondents’ wishes to withhold information.

QuestionPro is a popular online survey platform offering various features and tools for designing and delivering surveys, including the ability to add gender survey questionnaires. You may use QuestionPro to create surveys that target gender-related themes and collect vital data. Let’s work toward a world where gender identity is celebrated and accepted.

LEARN MORE SIGN UP FREE

Frequently Asking Questions

Woman, man, transgender, and non-binary are gender-category responses. Chromosomes, hormones, and secondary traits define sex. Male, female, and intersex are typical sex response options.

Gender questions in surveys may reveal gender tendencies. The survey is affected by these gender-related questions. Gender-specific surveys are sometimes done.

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How to Ask Gender Questions in Online Surveys (With Examples)

The first questions about a person's sex appeared in the 1790 US Census. In recent years, researchers have increasingly asked questions about gender and sex separately to increase accuracy and promote inclusivity. In fact, in 2020, around 55% of such survey questions included three or more gender answer options, as opposed to the 80% that only offered two options ten years ago ( State of Surveys Report: 2023 ).

Researchers have not yet agreed on the "correct" way to ask gender questions in online surveys. Still, best practices are emerging to help ensure that sex and gender are not conflated and that survey measures accurately reflect the diversity of the population.

Why Gender Questions Matter

Gender is a social construct shaped by society's cultural expectations and norms. It is affected by factors such as religion, language, family dynamics, and more. Unlike sex, which is assigned at birth based on physical characteristics, collecting information about gender more fully encompasses the socio-cultural and psychological experiences important to research projects.

According to Pew Research Center , "Gender affects how a person sees and is seen by the world. It's predictive of things like voting behavior, the wage gap and household responsibilities."

A note about terminology: sexual orientation is often referenced alongside gender questions, abbreviated as SOGI (sexual orientation and gender identity). It is worth noting that sexual orientation is distinct from sex and gender. While you may see SOGI referenced in the context of gender questions below, the focus of this post remains limited to sex and gender questions.

Best Practices for Gender Questions

Gender questions are nuanced and require particular attention to context, verbiage, and placement. To properly conduct gender questions, researchers should follow guidelines such as using precise language, avoiding assumptions, and validating responses, as well as the additional best practices listed below.

Keep Sex and Gender Questions Separate

It is important to remember that sex and gender are separate concepts and require individual questions. Sexual characteristics are determined by the chromosomes and biological characteristics of a person. Thus, these questions are often simple and direct, for example:

What is your sex?

1. Male 2. Female 3. Intersex

Alternately, you may see this question phrased as "What sex were you assigned at birth?" In either case, you acknowledge the binary nature of asking a question about biological sex.

Don't Ask for More Than You Need

Unless it is necessary to reach the survey objectives, questions about gender may be omitted. This is frequently true for B2B research and studies that already include sex in their standard demographic data collection. Other gender-related questions, such as gender presentation (how you outwardly express your gender) or preferred pronouns, are frequently unnecessary and should be avoided unless relevant to your research objectives.

Provide Write-In Options

Write-in options accommodate respondents who do not identify with the pre-defined gender choices. The wording of write-in options is critical to avoid confusion or a sense of judgment. Examples of empowering write-in options include:

"I use a different term"
"Prefer to self-describe"
"A gender not listed here"

Examine Your Question Placement

It is common to group sex and gender questions with other demographic questions, but you may wish to group them with questions specific to your study. For example, in a study about access to health care, the gender questions could be grouped with questions about insurance coverage, while your question about sex is placed alongside questions about race and ethnicity.

Use Inclusive Language

The Federal Committee on Statistical Methodology (FCSM) 's Updates on Terminology of Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Survey Measures report acknowledges that when respondents do not see themselves represented in the categories offered, they have challenges responding. This lack of representation can result in lower levels of engagement and a reduced likelihood of survey completion.

When creating your list of potential answers, aim to strike a balance between inclusivity and survey usability.

Pew Research also notes that proponents of additional gender response options may perceive the lack of other options as exclusionary. This can be remedied by offering additional options in the choice set that are representative and inclusive of all voices.

There are several common gender categories, including, but not limited to:

Genderqueer or genderfluid
Transgender man
Transgender woman

Consider Opt-Outs

If balancing the survey, sex or gender demographic information will be required upfront. If you are not balancing, however, these questions can be asked at the end of the survey and made optional, or you can provide a "prefer not to share this information" answer choice. The FCSM also cautions that while item nonresponse is relatively low for SOGI questions, even low rates for nonresponse can be problematic when measuring a small population.

4 Examples of Inclusive Language in Gender Survey Questions

The use of inclusive language builds trust with survey participants. Although it is impossible to create a choice set for all gender options, it is feasible to use terminology that can be understood across most English-speaking countries to reflect LGBTQ+ identities.

Example #1: Very Inclusive Gender Question

The gender question above uses inclusive language, incorporating multiple gender identities while still keeping the response list manageable. Using a multi-select format allows participants to better align themselves with the answer options, including those with multiple gender identities. The write-in option provides space for identities outside the choice set, and a prefer not to say option allows participants to opt out of the question entirely.

Pew Research Center phrases their question precisely to ensure inclusivity: "Do you describe yourself as a man, a woman, or in some other way?" with a write-in option for the respondent to describe themselves. Pew views this verbiage as more inclusive than the binary responses of "male" and "female" and feels this phrasing more accurately captures data representative and inclusive of all types of voices.

Example #2: Reasonably Inclusive Gender Question

Reasonably Inclusive Gender Survey Question

The way this question is framed, responses are limited to a smaller choice set; however, there is a fill-in option to self-describe and an alternative to opt out of the question entirely.

Example #3: Minimally Inclusive Gender Question

Minimally Inclusive Gender Survey Question

While this question does provide options beyond male and female, it offers a limited number of alternatives and fails to capture more nuanced gender demographics.

Example #4: Non-Inclusive Gender Question

Gender options should not be treated as binary or lumped together as "other" without a write-in option. This is dismissive and marginalizing to people who identify as non-binary or have other gender identities. Additionally, some people identify with multiple gender identities, such as female AND transgender or Male AND genderfluid. Without additional options or opportunities for write-in answers, the data collected is unlikely to represent the true characteristics of the population being studied.

Testing and Iteration

When testing your overall standards, pay close attention to any sex or gender questions in your questionnaire.

If you can pilot test with a group of respondents, aim for diversity and ask about clarity, inclusiveness, and sensitivity. Use this feedback to make adjustments before fielding the survey.

Use Cases: Gender Questions in Research

In the world of healthcare, Stanford University’s Gendered-Related Variables in Health Research states that medical evidence has shown that both sex and gender interact to influence health and disease. Analyzing the influence of gender on health requires tools that disaggregate these dimensions and quantify them. “Conflating birth sex and gender identity, however, can lower the precision of survey research.”

The significance of gender in research is not limited to healthcare. Another Stanford case study, the Quality Urban Spaces: Gender Impact Assessment , showed the impact of gender data on city planners. By including gender questions in their surveys, city planners designing family-friendly streets and public spaces were able to understand who benefits from urban design and who is left out.

Other study use cases include:

Employee engagement
Employee satisfaction
Organizational culture
Labor market studies
City planning
Customer surveys
Consumer market research

Additional Resources

Below are a few resources you can browse if you are interested in learning more about sex and gender questions in online surveys:

National Academies Science, Engineering, Medicine - Measuring Sex, Gender Identity, and Sexual Orientation for the National Institutes of Health
Williams Institute - Best Practices for Asking Questions to Identify Transgender and Other Gender Minority Respondents on Population-Based Surveys (GenIUSS)
American Psychological Association - Inclusive Language Guidelines
Vanderbilt University - How to Ask About Sexuality/Gender
United Nations - Toolbox for Using Gender-Inclusive Language in English

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The Gender Analysis Tool With Topical Questions

GENDER ANALYSIS QUESTION TABLE

More specifically, to make the GAF more accessible, the tables below offer topical questions to guide the content of research questions for each domain at each level of the health system for gender analysis.

For each level of the health system: 1) individual and household; 2) community; 3) health facility; 4) district; 5) national, there is one table with illustrative questions for each of the four domains.

The first table in each section contains general topical questions that pertain to that level of the health system, and the second table contains topical questions pertinent to a specific area of health (e.g., HIV, FP). The topical questions are both illustrative and descriptive and offer a set of key questions for a range of Jhpiego health areas. They should inform what kind of information should be gathered using a combination of qualitative and quantitative methods, but are not intended to be directly transferred to a survey or interview guide. Instead, the questions should be further adapted for a specific purpose, to a particular context, and to the type of data collection tool.

Sample data collection tools and resources that pertain to each level and set of tables are found at the end of each set. Annotations of the data collection and analysis resources listed appear in Annex III. The citations contain a hyperlink to the full document of each resource. To keep the size of the tool manageable, we focused questions on one health area per level of the health system.

The table below illustrates the level of questions that this Toolkit aims to provide using HIV-related gender analysis and assessment questions. The topical questions in the GAF tables are more specific than broader research questions and less specific than the types of questions that would appear on a survey or as part of a qualitative interview guide, which would have to be adapted and tested prior to their application for the setting and type of tools to be used.

RESEARCH QUESTIONS (BY DOMAIN)

TOPICAL QUESTIONS

QUANTITATIVE DATA COLLECTION QUESTIONS

Dissertation
PowerPoint Presentation
Book Report/Review
Research Proposal
Math Problems
Proofreading
Movie Review
Cover Letter Writing
Personal Statement
Nursing Paper
Argumentative Essay
Research Paper
Discussion Board Post

What is gender equality?

Equality between the sexes is a huge part of basic human rights. It means that men and women have the same opportunities to fulfil their potential in all spheres of life.

Today, we still face inequality issues as there is a persistent gap in access to opportunities for men and women.

Women have less access to decision-making and higher education. They constantly face obstacles at the workplace and have greater safety risks. Maintaining equal rights for both sexes is critical for meeting a wide range of goals in global development.

Inequality between the sexes is an interesting area to study so high school, college, and university students are often assigned to write essays on gender topics.

In this article, we are going to discuss the key peculiarities of gender equality essay. Besides, we have created a list of the best essay topic ideas.

What is the specifics of gender equality essay?

Equality and inequality between the sexes are important historical and current social issues which impact the way students and their families live. They are common topics for college papers in psychology, sociology, gender studies.

When writing an essay on equality between the sexes, you need to argue for a strong point of view and support your argument with relevant evidence gathered from multiple sources.

But first, you’d need to choose a good topic which is neither too broad nor too narrow to research.

Research is crucial for the success of your essay because you should develop a strong argument based on an in-depth study of various scholarly sources.

Equality between sexes is a complex problem. You have to consider different aspects and controversial points of view on specific issues, show your ability to think critically, develop a strong thesis statement, and build a logical argument, which can make a great impression on your audience.

If you are looking for interesting gender equality essay topics, here you will find a great list of 100 topic ideas for writing essays and research papers on gender issues in contemporary society.

Should you find that some topics are too broad, feel free to narrow them down.

Powerful gender equality essay topics

Here are the top 25 hottest topics for your argumentative opinion paper on gender issues.

Whether you are searching for original creative ideas for gender equality in sports essay or need inspiration for gender equality in education essay, we’ve got you covered.

Use imagination and creativity to demonstrate your approach.

Analyze gender-based violence in different countries
Compare wage gap between the sexes in different countries
Explain the purpose of gender mainstreaming
Implications of sex differences in the human brain
How can we teach boys and girls that they have equal rights?
Discuss gender-neutral management practices
Promotion of equal opportunities for men and women in sports
What does it mean to be transgender?
Discuss the empowerment of women
Why is gender-blindness a problem for women?
Why are girls at greater risk of sexual violence and exploitation?
Women as victims of human trafficking
Analyze the glass ceiling in management
Impact of ideology in determining relations between sexes
Obstacles that prevent girls from getting quality education in African countries
Why are so few women in STEM?
Major challenges women face at the workplace
How do women in sport fight for equality?
Women, sports, and media institutions
Contribution of women in the development of the world economy
Role of gender diversity in innovation and scientific discovery
What can be done to make cities safer for women and girls?
International trends in women’s empowerment
Role of schools in teaching children behaviours considered appropriate for their sex
Feminism on social relations uniting women and men as groups

Gender roles essay topics

We can measure the equality of men and women by looking at how both sexes are represented in a range of different roles. You don’t have to do extensive and tiresome research to come up with gender roles essay topics, as we have already done it for you.

Have a look at this short list of top-notch topic ideas .

Are paternity and maternity leaves equally important for babies?
Imagine women-dominated society and describe it
Sex roles in contemporary western societies
Compare theories of gender development
Adoption of sex-role stereotyped behaviours
What steps should be taken to achieve gender-parity in parenting?
What is gender identity?
Emotional differences between men and women
Issues modern feminism faces
Sexual orientation and gender identity
Benefits of investing in girls’ education
Patriarchal attitudes and stereotypes in family relationships
Toys and games of girls and boys
Roles of men and women in politics
Compare career opportunities for both sexes in the military
Women in the US military
Academic careers and sex equity
Should men play larger roles in childcare?
Impact of an ageing population on women’s economic welfare
Historical determinants of contemporary differences in sex roles
Gender-related issues in gaming
Culture and sex-role stereotypes in advertisements
What are feminine traits?
Sex role theory in sociology
Causes of sex differences and similarities in behaviour

Gender inequality research paper topics

Examples of inequality can be found in the everyday life of different women in many countries across the globe. Our gender inequality research paper topics are devoted to different issues that display discrimination of women throughout the world.

Choose any topic you like, research it, brainstorm ideas, and create a detailed gender inequality essay outline before you start working on your first draft.

Start off with making a debatable thesis, then write an engaging introduction, convincing main body, and strong conclusion for gender inequality essay .

Aspects of sex discrimination
Main indications of inequality between the sexes
Causes of sex discrimination
Inferior role of women in the relationships
Sex differences in education
Can education solve issues of inequality between the sexes?
Impact of discrimination on early childhood development
Why do women have limited professional opportunities in sports?
Gender discrimination in sports
Lack of women having leadership roles
Inequality between the sexes in work-family balance
Top factors that impact inequality at a workplace
What can governments do to close the gender gap at work?
Sex discrimination in human resource processes and practices
Gender inequality in work organizations
Factors causing inequality between men and women in developing countries
Work-home conflict as a symptom of inequality between men and women
Why are mothers less wealthy than women without children?
Forms of sex discrimination in a contemporary society
Sex discrimination in the classroom
Justification of inequality in American history
Origins of sex discrimination
Motherhood and segregation in labour markets
Sex discrimination in marriage
Can technology reduce sex discrimination?

Most controversial gender topics

Need a good controversial topic for gender stereotypes essay? Here are some popular debatable topics concerning various gender problems people face nowadays.

They are discussed in scientific studies, newspaper articles, and social media posts. If you choose any of them, you will need to perform in-depth research to prepare an impressive piece of writing.

How do gender misconceptions impact behaviour?
Most common outdated sex-role stereotypes
How does gay marriage influence straight marriage?
Explain the role of sexuality in sex-role stereotyping
Role of media in breaking sex-role stereotypes
Discuss the dual approach to equality between men and women
Are women better than men or are they equal?
Sex-role stereotypes at a workplace
Racial variations in gender-related attitudes
Role of feminism in creating the alternative culture for women
Feminism and transgender theory
Gender stereotypes in science and education
Are sex roles important for society?
Future of gender norms
How can we make a better world for women?
Are men the weaker sex?
Beauty pageants and women’s empowerment
Are women better communicators?
What are the origins of sexual orientation?
Should prostitution be legal?
Pros and cons of being a feminist
Advantages and disadvantages of being a woman
Can movies defy gender stereotypes?
Sexuality and politics

Feel free to use these powerful topic ideas for writing a good college-level gender equality essay or as a starting point for your study.

No time to do decent research and write your top-notch paper? No big deal! Choose any topic from our list and let a pro write the essay for you!

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What is Gendered Innovations ?

Sex & Gender Analysis

Research Priorities
Rethinking Concepts
Research Questions
Analyzing Sex
Analyzing Gender
Sex and Gender Interact
Intersectional Approaches
Engineering Innovation
Participatory Research
Reference Models
Language & Visualizations
Tissues & Cells
Lab Animal Research
Sex in Biomedicine
Gender in Health & Biomedicine
Evolutionary Biology
Machine Learning
Social Robotics
Hermaphroditic Species
Impact Assessment
Norm-Critical Innovation
Intersectionality
Race and Ethnicity
Age and Sex in Drug Development
Engineering
Health & Medicine
SABV in Biomedicine
Tissues & Cells
Urban Planning & Design

Case Studies

Animal Research
Animal Research 2
Computer Science Curriculum
Genetics of Sex Determination
Chronic Pain
Colorectal Cancer
De-Gendering the Knee
Dietary Assessment Method
Heart Disease in Diverse Populations
Medical Technology
Nanomedicine
Nanotechnology-Based Screening for HPV
Nutrigenomics
Osteoporosis Research in Men
Prescription Drugs
Systems Biology
Assistive Technologies for the Elderly
Domestic Robots
Extended Virtual Reality
Facial Recognition
Gendering Social Robots
Haptic Technology
HIV Microbicides
Inclusive Crash Test Dummies
Human Thorax Model
Machine Translation
Making Machines Talk
Video Games
Virtual Assistants and Chatbots
Agriculture
Climate Change
Environmental Chemicals
Housing and Neighborhood Design
Marine Science
Menstrual Cups
Population and Climate Change
Quality Urban Spaces
Smart Energy Solutions
Smart Mobility
Sustainable Fashion
Waste Management
Water Infrastructure
Intersectional Design
Major Granting Agencies
Peer-Reviewed Journals
Universities

Formulating Research Questions

Research questions typically flow from research priorities (see Rethinking Research Priorities and Outcomes ) and from the theories and concepts that frame research (see Rethinking Concepts and Theories ). Research priorities—along with concepts and theories—directly influence how research is designed. They function to

1. delimit questions asked—and, by implication, questions not asked (see, for example, Case Study: Genetics of Sex Determination ).
2. frame the research design and choice of methods.

As with other stages of the research and development processes, the choice of a research question is often underpinned by assumptions—both implicit and explicit—about sex and gender (see Method: Analyzing Gender ). As in other stages of research and development, potential for creative innovation lies in critically examining existing practices in light of available evidence about sex and gender (Bührer et al., 2006; Schraudner et al., 2006; Schiebinger, 2008; Wylie, et al., Klinge, 2010; IOM, 2010; Wajcman, 2010).

Critical questions for analyzing the significance (if any) of sex and gender in formulating research questions:

1. What is the current state of knowledge of sex and gender ( norms , identities , or relations ) in a given area of research or development?

2. What do we not know as a result of not analyzing sex and gender?

3. How have sex and gender functioned to limit the research questions posed in this field? For example, coronary angiography is a powerful diagnostic tool for assessing coronary artery disease, but it can cause bleeding complications, especially in women. Researchers asked how angiography could be made safer and designed and patented new catheters and procedures to allow angiography from the radial artery rather than the groin. This shift reduces bleeding in everyone (see Case Study: Heart Disease in Diverse Populations ).

4. Have assumptions been made about sex and gender? Are these justified in light of available evidence? Are assumptions underpinning these research questions invalid when subjected to critical analysis? For example, cultural assumptions about gender difference can lead companies to market “gender-specific” products—in one case a sex-specific knee prosthesis—that may not be the best choice for consumers (see Case Study: De-Gendering the Knee ). Have researchers assumed a sex or gender binary? For example, recent research suggests that some transgender people may be at higher risk for heart disease, but transgender patients are not typically a focus for heart disease research (see Case Study: Heart Disease in Diverse Populations ).

5. Have any potentially relevant groups of research subjects been left out (e.g., female animals in drug research, women and gender-diverse people in systems biology, pregnant women and large people in automotive engineering)? (See Case Studies: Prescription Drugs , Systems Biology , and Inclusive Crash Test Dummies .)

6. What research questions would lead to more robust research designs and methods? For example, in studies of sexual differentiation, geneticists have revealed the shortcomings of scientific models that portrayed the female developmental pathway as “passive.” By challenging assumptions of passivity, researchers formulated new questions about the ovarian developmental pathway. New findings now suggest that both female and male development are active, gene-mediated processes (see Case Study: Genetics of Sex Determination ).

Related Case Studies

Works cited.

Bührer, S., Gruber, E., Hüsing, B., Kimpeler, S., Rainfurth, C., Schlomann, B., Schraudner, M., & Wehking, S. (2006). Wie Können Gender-Aspekte in Forschungsvorhaben Erkannt und Bewertet Werden? München: Fraunhofer.

Klinge, I., & Wiesemann, C. (Eds.) (2010). Sex and Gender in Biomedicine: Theories, Methodologies, and Results . Göttingen: Universitätsverlag.

Institute of Medicine (IOM). (2010). Women’s Health Research: Progress, Pitfalls, and Promise . Washington, D.C.: United States National Academies Press.

Schiebinger, L. (Ed.) (2014). Women and Gender in Science and Technology, 4 vols. London: Routledge.

Schraudner, M., & Lukoschat, H. (Eds.) (2006). Gender als Innovationspotenzial in Forschung and Entwicklung . Karlsruhe: Fraunhofer Institut.

Wajcman, J. (2010). Feminist Theories of Technology. Cambridge Journal of Economics, 34 (1), 143-152 .

Wylie, A., & Conkey, M. (2007). Doing Archaeology as a Feminist. Journal of Archaeological Method and Theory, 14 (3) , 209-216.

Gender Studies

Developing a research question.

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From Laurier Library.

Selecting and Narrowing a Topic

Choose an area of interest to explore. .

For you to successfully finish a research project, it is important to choose a research topic that is relevant to your field of study and piques your curiosity. The flip side is that curiosity can take you down long and winding paths, so you also need to consider scope in how to effectively cover the topic in the space that you have available. If there's an idea or concept you've recently learned that's stuck with you, that might be a good place to start !

Gather background information.

You may not know right away what your research question is - that's okay! Start out with a broad topic, and see what information is out there through cursory background research. This will help you explore possibilities and narrow your topic to something manageable. Do a few quick searches in OneSearch@IU or in other relevant sources. See what other researchers have already written to help narrow your focus.

Narrow your topic.

Once you have a sense of how other researchers are talking about the topics you’re interested, narrow down your topic by asking the 5 Ws

Who – population or group (e.g., working class, college students, Native Americans)
What – discipline or focus (e.g., anthropological or art history)
Where – geographic location (e.g., United States; universities; small towns; Standing Rock)
When – time period or era (17 th century; contemporary; 2017)
Why – why is the topic important? (to the class, to the field, or to you)

Broad topic: Native American representations in museums

Narrowed topic: Museum efforts to adhere to NAGPRA

Adapted from: University of Michigan. (2023 Finding and Exploring your topic. Retrieved from https://guides.lib.umich.edu/c.php?g=283095&p=1886086

From Topic to Research Question

So, you have done some background research and narrowed down your topic. Now what? Start to turn that topic into a series of questions that you will attempt to answer the course of your research. Keep in mind that you will probably end up changing and adjusting the question(s) you have as you gather more information and synthesize it in your writing. However, having a clear line of inquiry can help you maintain a sense of your direction, which will then in turn help you evaluate sources and identify relevant information throughout your research process.

Exploratory questions.

These are the questions that comes from a genuine curiosity about your topic. When narrowing down your topic, you got a good sense of the Who, What, When, and Where of things. Now it’s time to consider

Asking open-ended “how” and “why” questions about your general topic, which can lead you to better explanations about a phenomenon or concept
Consider the “so what?” of your topic. Why does this topic matter to you? Why should it matter to others? What are the implications of the information you’re discovering through the search process to the Who and the What of your topic?

Evaluate your research question.

Use the following to determine if any of the questions you generated would be appropriate and workable for your assignment.

Is your question clear ? Do you have a specific aspect of your general topic that you are going to explore further? Will the reader of your research be able to keep it in mind?
Is your question focused? Will you be able to cover the topic adequately in the space available? Are you able to concisely ask the question?
Is your question and arguable ? If it can be answered with a simple Yes or No, then dig deeper. Once you get to “it depends on X, Y, and Z” then you might be getting on the right track.

Hypothesize.

Once you have developed your research question, consider how you will attempt to answer or address it.

What connections can you make between the research you’ve read and your research question? Why do those connections matter?
What other kinds of sources will you need in order to support your argument?
If someone refutes the answer to your research question, what is your argument to back up your conclusion?
How might others challenge your argument? Why do those challenges ultimately not hold water?

Adapted from: George Mason University Writing Center. (2018). How to write a research question. Retrieved from https://writingcenter.gmu.edu/writing-resources/research-based-writing/how-to-write-a-research-question

Sample research questions.

A good research question is clear, focused, and has an appropriate level of complexity. Developing a strong question is a process, so you will likely refine your question as you continue to research and to develop your ideas.

Unclear : Why are social networking sites harmful?

Clear: How are online users experiencing or addressing privacy issues on such social networking sites as Facebook and TikTok?

Unfocused: What is the effect on the environment from global warming?

Focused: How is glacial melting affecting penguins in Antarctica?

Simple vs Complex

Too simple: How are doctors addressing diabetes in the U.S.?

Appropriately Complex: What are common traits of those suffering from diabetes in America, and how can these commonalities be used to aid the medical community in prevention of the disease?

General Online Reference Sources

Reference sources like dictionaries and encylopedias provide general information about various subjects. They also include definitions that may help you break down your topic and understand it better. Sources includes in these entries can be springboards for more in-depth research.

A note on citation: Reference sources are generally not cited since they usually consist of common knowledge (e.g. who was the first United States President). But if you're unsure whether to cite something it's best to do so. Specific pieces of information and direct quotes should always be cited.

Encyclopedias and specialized reference resources in: Arts, Biography, History, Information and Publishing, Law, Literature, Medicine, Multicultural Studies, Nation and World, Religion, Science, Social Science

Why Use References Sources

Reference sources are a great place to begin your research. They can help you:

gain an overview of a topic
explore potential research areas
identify key issues, publications, or authors in your research area

From here, you can narrow your search topic and look at more specialized sources.

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113 Gender Roles Essay Topics & Examples

Looking for gender roles essay topics? This field is hot, controversial, and really worth exploring!

🔝 Top 10 Gender Topics
📝 Gender Essay: Writing Tips
🏆 Gender Essay Examples & Topic Ideas

✍️ Gender Argumentative Essay Topics

❓ research questions about gender roles.

In your gender role essay, you might want to focus on the issues of gender equality in the workplace. Another exciting option is to write about gender stereotypes in education. Finally, you can elaborate on how traditional gender roles are changing.

In this article, you’ll find a list of gender argumentative essay topics, ideas for papers on gender and society, as well as top gender roles essay examples.

🔝 Top 10 Gender Roles Topics

Gender stereotypes and the way they affect people
Fighting gender stereotypes and sexism
Gender equality in the workplace
Gender stereotypes in education
Gender schema theory
Is gender socially constructed?
Social learning theory and gender
Gender roles and sexual orientation
Body image and gender
Social gender construction in the media

📝 Gender Roles Essay: Writing Tips

Essays on gender roles present students’ understanding of the similarities, differences, and aspects of gender roles in society.

Writing gender roles essays helps learners to understand the significance of topics related to gender roles and the changes in societal norms. Students should be highly aware of the problems associated with traditional gender roles. For example, there are many periods in world history, in which people did not have equal rights.

Moreover, some aspects of gender roles may be associated with discrimination. To make an essay on this problem outstanding, you should discuss the problem in detail and present your points clearly. A useful tip is to develop a good structure for your paper.

Before starting to work on the paper, you should select the problem that is most interesting or relevant to you.

Gender roles essay topics and titles may include:

The history of gender roles and their shifts throughout the time
Male and female roles in society
Gender roles in literature and media
How a man and a woman is perceived in current society
The causes and outcomes of gender discrimination
The problem of ‘glass ceiling’
The problem of social stratification and its outcomes
The revolution in the concept of gender

After selecting the issue for discussion, you can start working on the essay’s structure. Here are some useful tips on how to structure your paper:

Select the topic you want to discuss (you can choose one from the list above). Remember to pay attention to the type of essay you should write. If it is an argumentative essay, reflect on what problem you would want to analyze from opposing perspectives.
Gender roles essay titles are important because they can help you to get the reader’s attention. Think of something simple but self-explanatory.
An introductory paragraph is necessary, as it will present the questions you want to discuss in the paper. Remember to state the thesis of your essay in this section.
Think of your gender roles essay prompts. Which aspects of the selected problem do you want to focus on? Dedicate a separate section for each of the problems.
Remember to include a refutation section if you are writing an argumentative essay. In this section, you should discuss an alternative perspective on the topic in 1-2 paragraphs. Do not forget to outline why your opinion is more credible than the alternative one.
Avoid making the paragraphs and sentences too long. You can stick to a 190 words maximum limit for one paragraph. At the same time, make sure that the paragraphs are longer than 65 words. Try to make all sections of the body paragraphs of similar length.
Check out examples online to see how you can structure your paper and organize the information. Pay attention to the number of paragraphs other students include.
Remember to include a gender roles essay conclusion. In this paragraph, you will discuss the most important claims of your paper.
Do not forget to add a reference page in which you will include the sources used in the paper. Ask your professor in advance about the types of literature you can utilize for the essay.

Do not forget that there are free samples on our website that can help you to get the best ideas for your essay!

🏆 Gender Roles Essay Examples & Topic Ideas

Conflict of Gender Roles in Munro’s “Boys and Girls” Munro’s “Boys and Girls” is a story about a puzzled girl who struggles to find the balance between the battles of her inner female-housewife side, like her mother, and a boyish character who likes to […]
Gender Roles in Antigone Essay This will be seen through an analysis of the other characters in the play and the values of ancient Greeks. Indeed this central character appears to be at odds with the inclinations of the other […]
Gender Roles Set in Stone: Prehistoric and Ancient Work of Arts In the prehistoric and ancient works of art, the representation of women and men reveals a massive imbalance in gender equity that favors men over women.
Gender Roles in the 19th Century Society: Charlotte Gilman’s The Yellow Wallpaper However, the narrator’s developing madness can also act as the symbolical depiction of the effects of the men’s dominance on women and the female suppression in the 19th-century society.”The Yellow Wallpaper” was first published in […]
The Concepts of Gender Roles and Sexuality by John Money and Judith Butler These categories of feminists are united in the belief of existence of many children and little sex. This paper explains the concepts and ideologies relating to gender roles and sexuality.as advocated by John Money and […]
Gender Roles and Stereotyping in Education Teachers should be trained to give clear and useful instruction to students on the issue of gender roles in modern society.
Athena and Gender Roles in Greek Mythology According to Eicher and Roach-Higgins, the elements of her dress were important because they immediately communicated specific ideas about her character that was as contradictory as the physical gender of the birthing parent.”In appropriating the […]
Gender Roles in “Bridge to Terabithia” by Paterson The theme of gender roles is consistently present in the novel, starting with character origins and becoming the central concept as they mature to defy archetypal perceptions of feminine and masculine expectations in order to […]
Gender Roles in “The Glass Menagerie” by Tennessee Williams In the play The Glass Menagerie, Tennessee Williams has written the story of the Wingfield family that lived in St Louis during the 1940s.
Gender roles in the Wind in the Willows For instance, in the case where both the mole and the rat make comments to the toad that are full of women critics.
Biology and Gender Roles in Society Thus, it may be more convenient for society to justify the imposition of certain gender roles on men and women using biology-related arguments, which, in reality, are more related to culture and social development.
Gender Roles Inversion: The Madonna Phenomenon At the same time partial narrowing of the gender gap in the context of economic participation did not lead to the equality of men and women in the field of their occupations.
Gender Roles and Family Systems in Hispanic Culture In the Hispanic culture, amarianismo’ and amachismo’ are the terms used to determine the various behavioral expectations among the family members.
Changing Gender Roles Between Boys and Girls In the twenty-first Century, girls have greatly stepped up and assumed some of the roles that were considered to be boy’s while boys have done the same leading to an interchange of roles.
Gender Roles in Society One might think that a child is born with the idea of how to behave in relation to gender while in the real sense; it is the cultivation of the society that moulds people to […]
Gender Roles: Changes From the Late 1800’s to Today The definition of who is a male or a female depends on the types of gender roles one was exposed to during the early ages. In today’s society, we have a greater number of women […]
Gender Roles in Toy Stores According to Fisher-Thompson et al, two of the major differentiating factors in toys for girls and boys are color and nature.
Gender Roles by Margaret Mead Once the a rift defining men and women develops this way, it goes further and defines the positions, which men and women occupy in the society, basing on these physical and biological differences, which form […]
Gender Roles in Brady’s and Theroux’s Works In the satire “Being a Man” by Paul Theroux, the author demonstrates to readers the essence of how a particular manifestation of masculinity is extolled in American society.
Women’s Gender Roles in American Literature The stories written by Constance Woolson Fenimore, Mary Wilkins Freeman, and Jaqueline Bishop highlight the harmful gender roles and discrimination that still remains a major topic for disputes and illustrate the fate of oppressed women.
Aspects of Gender Roles and Identity The breadth of her practice in transgender issues suggests that every choice Bowers makes is ethical, requiring her to be respectful and highly responsible.
Changing Gender Roles in Families Over Time The division of labor and traditional gender roles in the family usually consists of men doing the work while women take care of the children, other relatives, and housekeeping.
Gender Roles, Expectations, and Discrimination Despite Isaac being the calmest boy in the school, he had a crush on Grace, a beautiful girl in the school who was from a wealthy family.
Gender Roles in Social Constructionism The reality, in the view of sociologists, is a social attitude in connection with which a personality is formed that adapts to the requirements of the world.
Gender Roles and Stereotypes in Straightlaced Film One might conclude that gender neutrality and abstraction in offices are only a cover to maintain the basis of gender injustice.
Children’s Views of Gender Roles Today, both parents and teachers see the positive impact of the attempts to integrate anti-biased gender-related education on young children as they get more freedom to express themselves and grow up less aggressive.
The Construction of Gender Roles However, it is wrong to consider women exposed to the domestic work powerless, as they have the opportunity to informally or implicitly influence men and the decisions they make.
Sociology of the Family: Gender Roles Thus, the societal predisposition and notion that women are lesser in the community should be abandoned, and greater emphasis should be placed on the critical functions they perform in the household. These assertions, equivocations, and […]
Femininity and Masculinity: Understanding Gender Roles The understanding of how gender roles are portrayed in the media and the general perception of the expected behavior for men and women communicated non-verbally in the society is the basis on which children build […]
Injustice Within Strict Gender Roles There is still no clear answer to how a person can find his or her destiny and place in the world, and understand the opportunities and prospects, considering the opinion of the dominant number of […]
Gender Roles and Body Image in Disney Movies In this research, attention will be paid to gender roles and body images of Disney princesses to understand the popularity of the franchise and its impact on child development.
Gender Roles and How People Perceive Them However, all of the survey participants indicated that their families would be inclined to differentiate between the toys for a child based on the latter’s sex and the corresponding perceived gender role.
Gender Roles: From Prehistoric Era to Modern Society Since each gender was assigned a particular role in the past due to the differences in the biological makeup between a man and a woman in the prehistoric era, the modern process of communication between […]
Gender Roles in TV Commercials and Values in the Society Each of them will watch, code, and analyze the TV commercials separately; at the end of the procedure, their results will be compared in order to ensure the inter-observer reliability of the chosen research method.
Gender Roles in Contemporary Society The conditions of life are tough and it is presumed that only men are able to carry out such hardships and limitations of a soldier life.
Gender Roles in ‘Mr. Green’ by Robert Olen Butler Green Butler uses the character of the grandfather to develop the theme of gender roles within the culture. The character of the grandfather is extremely sound for the cultural beliefs the author conveyed through all […]
Culture and History: Gender Roles Over the Past 50 or So Years It is not that there were no women in the workforce; it was just that she had to choose one over the other, juggling the two was quite rare and unheard of.
Gender Roles and Sexuality in Media: Cosmopolitan & Maxim The woman portrayed in these sites is supposed to look ‘hot’ and sexy in order to be attractive to a man.
Social Element in Gender Roles I learned of the origins of gay and lesbian studies, as well that of the confining of such studies in earlier times to specific institutions.
Equality: The Use of TV to Develop Our Gender Roles In this sense, when it is the men who predominantly work outside of the home, they will usually see the home as a place of leisure and so use the TV as a source of […]
Gender Roles in Brady’s “Why I Want a Wife” and Sacks’ “Stay-at-Home Dads” Yet, there are some distinctions Judy Brady believes that women are often viewed as unpaid house servants who have to take care of husbands’ needs, whereas Glenn Sacks argues that gender roles begin to transform […]
Family Unit and Gender Roles in Society and Market The role of molding the infant into an adult belonged to the family in the ancient society. In the past, the father was expected to be the breadwinner of the family.
Gender Roles and Social Classes in Wartime The message is as simple as “The women of Britain say ‘Go.’” It points to the role of both men and women in wartime.
China’s Gender Roles in Mo Yan’s and Shen Fu’s Works Six Records of a Floating Life is a multi-faceted chronicle which helps to comprehend the difficulties and the features of Shen Fu’s life and the romance between him and his beloved Chen Yun.
Nomadic Society’s Gender Roles and Warrior Culture On the one hand, it was clear that the 1100s and the 1200s included the period of male power. It was wrong to assume that all women were similar and treat them in the same […]
“Beside Oneself” by Judith Butler: Gender Roles Following the views of the author, who states that choice in the formation of gender and sexuality is not transparent, and a key role is still played by others in the form of expectations and […]
Gender Roles in Couples and Sex Stereotypes Altogether, the last reconsiderations of the nature of relations promoted the appearance of numerous debates related to the role of partners and their right to be the leader.
Gender Roles in South Korean Laws and Society At the same time, all custody is traditionally granted to husbands and fathers in a case of a divorce” though the anxiety about the high divorce rate and the nasty endings of relationships is more […]
Understanding the Social Element in Gender Roles When saying that gender is a binary construction, one implies that there are two genders, namely, the masculine and the feminine one, and two corresponding types of social behaviour, which are predetermined by the existing […]
Gender Roles in Tango: Cultural Aspects However, one should not assume that the role of women in tango is inferior because they create the most aesthetic aspects of this dance.
Discussing Gender Roles in the Interaction Perspective It is the purpose of this issue to discuss the concept of gender roles using the sociological perspective of symbolic interaction.
Women in Hip-Hop Music: A Provocative and Objectified Gender Roles It is one thing that men want women to be in music videos and play a particular role, but women are willing to participate in the videos.
Content Analysis of Gender Roles in Media In the critical analysis of the article, the point of disagreement is that of under-representation of women in the media. How do the media subordinate and relegate roles of women in society?
Effects of Media Messages about Gender Roles Media articles, such as the Maxim Magazine and the Cosmopolitan Magazine, socialize individuals to believe that women are very different from men as regards to dressing, behaving, and eating.
The Change of Gender Roles This similarity is one of the most important to focus on the structure of the narrative. In both plays, the main actions of the characters are not directly described by the authors.
Gender Equality: Male Dominance The simple reason is that gender inequality exists in affluent societies wherein women are free to do what they want, have access to education, and have the capacity to create wealth.
“The Odd Women” and “Women in Love”: Evolving Views of Gender Roles An effort is also made to track the changes of the roles of women in the social fabric in the Victorian era by considering The Odd Women by George Gissing written in 1893.
Gender Roles: Constructing Gender Identity In the course of the twentieth century and at the threshold of the twenty-first century, the images and roles of gender have constantly been changing.
Analysis of the Peculiarities of Gender Roles Within Education, Families and Student Communities Peculiarities of gender aspect within the education system and labour market Attitude for marriage of men and women as one of the major aspects within the analysis of gender roles Family relations as a significant […]
Ideology of Gender Roles In the world of literature, ideology has played a vital role in depicting the condition of the society. In this scenario, Kingston reveals that the men out-live their roles in the society, and they are […]
Concepts of Gender Roles As a result of these, the war on gender inequality and sexism has failed, because of the failure of these agents of change to promote gender equality and eliminate discriminative notions held by the society.
Cohabitation and Division of Gender Roles in a Couple Cohabitation is perceived in the society as the form of relationships which is an effective alternative to the traditional marriage because of focusing on the principles of flexibility, freedom, and equality, but few couples can […]
Gender Roles in the United States Over the Last Century The men’s perception towards this idea was negative, and this consequently resulted to a conflict with the men claiming that the roles of the women were in the kitchen.
Fashions, gender roles and social views of the 1950s and 1960s Fashion was highly valued and this can be seen in the way the clothes worn by the wives of the presidential candidates in America hit the headlines. In the 1950s, the role of housekeeping and […]
Cheating, Gender Roles, and the Nineteenth-Century Croquet Craze The author’s main thesis is, “Yet was this, in fact, how the game was played on the croquet lawns of the nineteenth century?” Whereas authors of croquet manuals and magazines emphasize so much on the […]
Gender Roles in Cartoons Though the males are portrayed to be logical, but it is shown that the females are more successful because of simple blunders or miscalculations which males fail to understand, females are able to beat males […]
The Industrial Revolution Impact on the Gender Roles The population growth combined with the increased productivity of small parts of the country and the migration of the now landless people in search of work opportunities led to the phenomena of urbanization.
Gender Roles in The Yellow Wallpaper & Trifles The two texts; the short story ‘The Yellow Wallpaper’ by Charlotte Perkins and the play ‘Trifles’ by Susan Glaspell strategically illustrate this claim since they both aim at attracting the reader’s attention to the poor […]
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How to write gender questions in your surveys: Tips & examples

How to write gender questions in your surveys: Tips & examples

Ayşegül Nacu

In research and data collection, gender identification has grown in importance. Many survey writers still have difficulty properly writing questions on gender, though. Also, understanding distinct groups' needs, actions, and opinions largely depends on surveys.

Poorly designed gender questions might result in erroneous or partial data that does not accurately reflect the whole range of gender identity. The best methods for formulating gender questions that are understandable, considerate, and inclusive of various gender identities will be covered in this article.

Why do you need to be careful when writing and asking gender questions?

Since gender is a sensitive and private subject for many people, it is imperative to take caution when writing about and posing gender-related topics. Our cultural, social, and personal experiences can impact how we define ourselves . Beyond the superficial classifications of male and female, gender is a complex concept.

In addition to being unpleasant and insulting, using the wrong pronouns or making assumptions about someone's gender identity can cause them to feel rejected and alienated. It's crucial to respect each individual's gender identity and to refrain from inferring gender from someone's appearance, name, or any other trait.

What’s the difference between sex and gender?

While they are sometimes used interchangeably, the terms " sex " and " gender " identity relate to an individual's different aspects. This confusion can result in misconceptions and feed negative biases and stereotypes. We may try to create a culture that is more inclusive and tolerant by encouraging knowledge and education about the distinctions between sex and gender.

The biological and physiological traits that distinguish males and females are referred to as “sex.” They consist of hormones, chromosomes, and reproductive organs.
Typically, a person's sex is determined by their reproductive system and the chromosomes their parents gave them. We can say that sex is assigned at birth .

On the other hand, gender refers to the social and cultural roles, behaviors, expectations, and identities associated with the male and female genders. It includes a variety of qualities, like one's self-identification as male, female, or non-binary. Gender identity is an individual's internal perception of gender.

The difference between sex and gender

Two ends of the spectrum: Mistakes to avoid in gender questions

There are two extremes on the gender spectrum that ought to be avoided while discussing them. Too many gender options are the first error to avoid. Using only two alternatives is another error to avoid when asking a question about a person's gender, though.

Adding too many options

While it's crucial to have a variety of gender-inclusive alternatives, having too many might be burdensome and confusing for participants. This may potentially result in inaccurate data and troublesome analysis . So, it's imperative to establish a balance between inclusivity and pragmatism.

Example: Which of the following gender identities do you most closely identify with?

a) Male

b) Female

c) Agender

d) Transgender

e) Androgyne

f) Bigender

g) Butch

h) Cisgender

i) Cishet

j) Demigirl

k) Demiboy

l) Genderfluid

m) Omnigender

n) Polygender and pangender

o) Other

Using only two options

Male and female, the two conventionally accepted gender binary alternatives, do not take into consideration the diversity of gender identity and may insult non-binary people. Non-binary and genderqueer alternatives are crucial for being inclusive and supportive of all gender identities. By not doing so, statistics may be distorted, and some groups may be underrepresented.

Example: What gender do you identify as?

What to consider when writing gender questions?

Whether creating surveys, questionnaires, or any other type of data collection, the style of questions is critical, especially when it comes to gender. In order to avoid exclusion or bias towards any gender identity, asking questions regarding gender is a delicate topic that requires careful attention. It would be useful to add questions as options. Including options for gender identity can help promote awareness and education about the diversity of gender identities that exist.

Consider the context: The context in which the gender question is being asked is essential to consider. For example, asking for gender on a job application may require different options than asking for gender in a survey about personal identity.
Include open-ended questions: If the available alternatives do not adequately express the survey takers’ opinion on the gender-related topic, consider enabling them to type in their own response options.
Avoid asking questions that aren't essential: It might be invasive and uncomfortable for respondents to be asked questions about their gender that aren't necessary for the data gathering.
Use gender-neutral language: There are more aspects of gender than just male and female, and this situation demonstrates respect for people's gender identities. Regardless of a person's gender identification, this can help create a more friendly and tolerant environment (e.g., " they " or " them ").
5 Question examples about gender

We mentioned that it is critical to tackle gender issues with compassion and respect in order to ensure that all gender identities are appropriately portrayed. In this article, we have included 5 sample questions to give you a hint.

1 - How would you describe your gender identity? (Single selection)

c) Transgender

d) Non-binary

e) Genderqueer

f) Other

2 - What effects do you believe gender norms in society have had on your experiences? (Long text)

3 - How important is it to you that your friends and family use your preferred pronouns? (Single selection)

a) Very important

b) Important

c) Not very important

d) Not at all important

4 - What steps should be taken, in your opinion, to make society a more welcoming and equal place for people of all gender identities? (Multiple selection)

a) By fostering knowledge of and sensitivity to the range of gender identities

b) By promoting laws that defend and assist people with all gender identities

c) By opposing detrimental gender preconceptions and conventions

d) By offering assistance and resources to anyone who has encountered harassment or discrimination because of their gender identity

e) Other

5 - On a scale between 1-5, how comfortable are you discussing issues related to gender with others? (Opinion scale)

Wrapping it up

It is critical to recognize that gender is a nuanced and diverse aspect of identity and that questions should reflect this diversity and complexity. Since people's attitudes on gender continue to shift, survey researchers should explore new ways to pose gender-related questions that reflect the changing nature of gender identity and create greater understanding and inclusivity.

With these guidelines and examples, survey designers can create gender-related questions that are both practical and inclusive, resulting in a better understanding of the needs and experiences of people of various gender identities.

Ayşegül is a content writer at forms.app and a full-time translation project manager. She enjoys scrapbooking, reading, and traveling. With expertise in survey questions and survey types, she brings a versatile skill set to her endeavors.

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Possible keywords: intimate partner violence, identity abuse, queer communities, LGBT people, intersectionality
Possible keywords: gender identity, transgender people, gender nonconforming people
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Gender Studies is an interdisciplinary field and may require keywords the aspect of the gender issue combined with keywords related to multiple disciplines (history, politics, medicine, literature, etc.). The ideas below will help get you started. If you need further help with keywords, talk to your professor or set up a research appointment with a librarian.

Note: Terminology in Gender Studies evolves much faster than terminology in databases. You will likely come across outdated and possibly offensive subject descriptions. However, it may be necessary to use such keywords in order to find the research you need.

Some suggested keyword combinations:

Gender AND [society, psychology, biology, income]
Women AND [art, history, sex roles, gender expression]
Men AND [communication, mental health, gender roles]

Look for additional keywords in:

Abstracts/Summaries even if the article is not relevant to your research, it may provide terms common to the field or other term related to your research.
Book Indexes are basically keywords lists that help you navigate information in a physical book.
E.g. "LGBTQ-inclusive sex education" may also be referred to as "comprehensive sex education"
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How to Write Gender Questions for a Survey

Survey Tips

Conducting research with an online survey platform like Alchemer gives you easier access to more people, but it requires asking demographic survey questions to understand the data. Sometimes you don’t need this data, other times it contributes a lot to the richness of your findings.

When it comes to demographic survey data, gender and age are two of the most commonly asked questions. These basics are genuinely useful for analysts to slice and dice information.

But the days of giving respondents only “Male” or “Female” as their gender options in surveys have long passed. Even if you’re not asking demographic survey questions for college students.

The challenge for current users of online survey software is to balance the need to collect actionable data with the importance of creating an inclusive range of gender choices. And do it all without risking survey fatigue.

We’re going to take a look at two extremes on this spectrum — basic binary gender options and a survey with 25 gender choices — so we can ultimately identify a gender choice question that provides useful data while being respectful of respondents.

Extreme #1: Too Many Gender Options

In January of 2016, The Sun reported that teenagers in the United Kingdom were given a list of 25 gender options in a Government-backed survey distributed by the Department of Education.

In a rebuttal of the survey and its larger goals, the Associate Editor of The Spectator , Toby Young, provided this full list of the options:

6. Young woman

7. Young man

8. Trans-girl – Someone who has or is currently transitioning from male to female.

9. Trans-boy – Someone who has or is currently transitioning from female to male.

10. Gender fluid – Those who have different gender identities at different times.

11. Agender – Those with no gender identity or a neutral identity.

12. Androgynous – Partly male and female. Not one specific sex.

13. Bi-gender – Those who experience two gender identities, either at the same time or swapping between the two. These can be male and female or other identities.

14. Non-binary – A blanket term to describe those who do not feel exclusively male or female.

15. Demi-boy – Someone whose identity is only partly male, regardless of their birth gender. They may or may not also identify as another gender.

16. Demi-girl – Someone whose identity is only partly female, regardless of their birth gender. They may or may not also identify as another gender.

17. Genderqueer – Those who don’t go along with traditional gender distinctions.

18. Gender nonconforming – Those who do not follow conventional ideas about how they should look or act based on their birth gender.

19. Tri-gender – Shifts between three genders, which could include male, female and genderless or another combination.

20. All genders – Someone who identifies as every possible gender option.

21. In the middle of boy and girl – An individual who identifies somewhere in between male and female.

22. Intersex – Someone with physical, genetic and hormonal features of a male and female.

23. Not sure

24. Rather not say

25. Others (please state)

While the survey has since been withdrawn (a spokesman said it was a draft that hadn’t been cleared by the commissioner), it reveals the perils of over-asking in your survey gender questions.

Inclusivity is vitally important, but survey best practices dictate that we also need to avoid fatiguing the people taking our surveys. Certainly a massive list of answer options like this one falls under the category of “highly fatiguing” questions.

Of course, the other extreme is not any better.

Extreme #2: Male or Female. Period.

If the broader argument for inclusivity doesn’t move you, consider that limiting your gender choices to the traditional binary may also have a negative impact on your survey’s data.

Stanford sociologist Aliya Saperstein reminds us that, “If the world is changing and [surveyors] are not changing the measures, it’s not clear that we’re getting the information we think we’re getting, even if we ask the same questions we always have.”

Sociology professor Laural Westbrook agrees: “We have been taking gender categories for granted for too long. It doesn’t help us better understand health disparities or income gaps or voting patterns to always divide the population into he’s and she’s.”

Clearly, continuing to ask the same questions the same way in perpetuity in the name of longitudinal research is not a useful way to maintain data integrity. Nonetheless, this problem persists throughout the survey, research, and feedback worlds – from government forms to SparkPeople.com surveys.

A.J. Walkley recently reported on the Huffington Post that a poll of fellow activists revealed a stunning lack of options in survey questions: “I was overwhelmed by stories of the lack of inclusion on forms they’ve been given to fill out from various institutions, including LGBT+ groups themselves.”

We can do better, and making your survey questions inclusive doesn’t have to destroy your data either.

Suggestions for More Inclusive Gender Survey Questions

There are really two parts to creating a positive experience around asking respondents to provide gender survey data:

Determine why you’re asking about gender in the first place. If it’s not a crucial part of your data analysis plan, you may be able to eliminate the question altogether.
I f you do decide to ask about gender, craft the question carefully. Be sure you don’t conflate biological sex and gender, and create a question that allows respondents to answer honestly and comfortably. We’ll give you some examples to help you get started.

When to Ask About Gender in Surveys

The Center for Diversity & Inclusion at American University suggests spending some time in introspection before asking about gender in a survey. The Human Rights Campaign echoes this sentiment, particularly when it comes to employers collecting demographic data about employees with employee satisfaction surveys and employee engagement surveys.

Consider these questions:

Why is the survey collecting information around gender, sex, and/or sexual orientation?
How will the information be used?
Will the data be broken down by category or used for cross-tabulation?
What is the business rationale for asking about gender on this particular form?
How will the data be used, protected, or reported? What legal restrictions might there be on the collection or storage of demographic data, in the U.S. or globally?

American University reminds survey creators that, “Often the questions are asked because we feel like they should be asked, or because we consider them ‘standard’ demographic questions, not because the data are necessary for cross-tabulation.”

If you decide gender will be an important data point for your survey, make sure you follow these guidelines when designing the question.

Best Practices for Collecting Gender Data in Surveys

First and foremost, make sure you keep questions about sex, gender, and sexual orientation separate. This doesn’t mean that you need to collect data about all three, only that you make sure your questions address the category you’re actually interesting in.

These distinctions from American University’s Center for Diversity & Inclusion offer a useful guide:

Sex refers to the biological make up in terms of chromosomes, hormones, and primary and secondary sex characteristics. When asking about sex as a category, words like male, female and intersex should be used.

Gender identity refers to the internal/psychological sense of self, regardless of what sex a person was assigned at birth. When asking about gender as a category, words like woman, man, and trans* should be used.

Sexual orientation refers to a person’s emotional, physical, and sexual attraction to other people. When asking about sexual orientation as a category, words like gay/lesbian, bisexual/pansexual, and heterosexual should be used. Please note that homosexual is not recommended as it is often used in a pejorative tone.

Sample Gender Questions

These are some of the best options for collecting gender-related data. When choosing the one that’s right for you, keep your data analysis goals and respondents’ situations in mind. Remember, you want to balance your own need for information with the personal feelings of the people taking your survey.

Completely Open Ended Question:

Gender? ___________

You’ll have to do some open text analysis on these responses, but it makes it very easy for people to choose their own category.

Options for Cross Tabulation

If you know you need this data in set categories to aid in data analysis, you can still create respectful categories without overwhelming respondents.

We suggest a radio button question like this (although what works for your particular audience may differ slightly):

Note that the best way to phrase this question is something like, “To which gender identity do you most identify?” rather than simply, “Gender.”

The Importance of Gender Questions in Surveys

In their 2015 study, “New Categories Are Not Enough: Rethinking the Measurement of Sex and Gender in Social Surveys,” Saperstein and Westbrook drive home the importance of thinking critically about the way we ask about gender in our surveys:

“A hyper-gendered world of ‘males’ and ‘females,’ ‘brothers’ and ‘sisters,’ and ‘husbands’ and ‘wives’ shapes what we can see in survey data. If not altered, surveys will continue to reproduce statistical representations that erase important dimensions of variation and likely limit understanding of the processes that perpetuate social inequality.”

So please, choose your survey questions (and response options) wisely.

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2015	Lesbian Against the Law: Indian Lesbian Activism and Film, 1987-2014	Literature
2015	Talking Dirty: Using the Pornographic to Negotiate Sexual Discourse in Public and Private	Philosophy
2015	Wars Are Fought, They Are Also Told: A Study of 9/11 and the War on Terrorism in U.S. History Textbooks	Social Studies

2014	Yoko as a Narrator in Nobuyoshi Araki’s and
2014	Reading at an Angle: Theorizing Young Women Reading Science-Fictionally	English and American Literature
2014	“Are you Ready to be Strong?”: Images of Female Empowerment in 1990s Popular Culture	History and Literature
2014	Constructing the Harvard Man: Eugenics, the Science of Physical Education, and Masculinity at Harvard, 1879-1919	History and Science
2014	Sex, Science, and Politics in the Sociobiology Debate	History and Science
2014	"A Little Bit of Sodomy in Me”: Disgust, Loss, and the Politics of Redemption in the American Ex-Gay Movement	Religion
2014	Art of Disturbance: Trans-Actions on the Stage of the US-Mexico Border	Romance Languages and Literatures
2014	“Too Important for Politics”: The Implications of “Autonomy” in the Indian Women’s Movement	Social Studies
2014	Yes, No, Maybe: The Politics of Consent Under Compulsory Sex-Positivity	Social Studies

2013	Inside the Master's House: Gender, Sexuality, and the 'Impossible' History of Slavery in Jamaica, 1753-1786
2013	Illuminating the Darkness Beneath the Lamp: Im Yong-sin’s Disappearance from History and Rewriting the History of Women in Korea’s Colonial Period (1910-1945)	East Asian Languages and Civilizations
2013	"How to Survive a Plague": Navigating AIDS in Mark Doty's Poetry	English and American Literature
2013	Respectability's Girl: Images of Black Girlhood Innocence, 1920-2013	History and Literature
2013	Defining Our Own Lives: The Racial, Gendered, and Postcolonial Experience of Black Women in the Netherlands	Social Studies
2013	Beyond Victim-Blaming: Strategies of Rape Response through Narrative	Sociology

2012	From “Ultimate Females” to “Be(ing) Me”: Uncovering Australian Intersex Experiences and Perspectives
2012	Modernity on Trial: Sodomy and Nation in Malaysia
2012	: Woven Accounts of Gender, Work and Motherhood in South Korea
2012	Sexual Apartheid: Marginalized Identity(s) in South Africa's HIV/AIDS Interventions
2012	The Pornographer's Tools: A Critical and Artistic Response to the Pornography of Georges Bataille and Anaïs Nin
2012	Cerebral interhemispheric connectivity and autism: A laboratory investigation of Dkk3 function in the postmitotic development of callosal projection neuron subpopulations and a historical analysis of the reported male prevalence of autism and the “extreme male brain” theory	Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology

2011	"Let's Just Invite Them In" versus "We Just Don't Have the Resources to Support You": Selective and Non-Selective College Administrators as Creators of Alcohol Policies and Practices, Campus Cultures, and Students' Identities, and Implications for Opportunities in Higher Education
2011	Plaintiffs' Role in Reinventing Legal Arguments for Same-Sex Marriage
2011	Facing Tijuana's Maquilas: An Inquiry into Embodied Viewership of the US-Mexico Border	Romance Languages and Literatures
2011	"The Woman Who Shouts": Coming to Voice as a Young Urban Female Leader	Social Studies
2011	Closet Communities: A Study of Queer Life in Cairo	Social Studies
2011	Redefining Survival: Statistics and the Language of Uncertainty at the Height of the AIDS Epidemic	Statistics

2010	A Genealogy of Gay Male Representation from the Lavender Scare to Lavender Containment
2010	More Than "Thoughts by the Way": Young Women and the Overland Journey Finding Themselves Through Narrative Voice, 1940-1870
2010	Que(e)rying Harvard Men, 1941-1951: A Project on Oral Histories
2010	When Welfare Queens Speak: Survival Rhetoric in the Face of Domination	African and African American Studies
2010	ACT UP New York: Art, Activism and the AIDS Crisis, 1987-1993	Visual and Environmental Studies

2009	"Gay, Straight, or Lying?": The Cultural Silencing of Male Bisexuality in America
2009	"I had never seen a beautiful woman with just one breast": Beauty and Norms of Femininity in Popular Breast Cancer Narratives
2009	Diego Garcia: Islands of Empire, Archipelagos of Resistance
2009	Zion Sexing Palestine
2009	Are You Sisters?: Motherhood, Sisterhood, and the Impossible Black Lesbian Subject	African and African American Studies
2009	Girl Interpellated: Female Childhoods and the Trauma of Nationalist Subjectivity	History and Literature
2009	Breaching the Subject of Birth: An Examination of Undergraduate Women's Perceptions of "Alternative" Birthing Methods	Sociology

2008	Biomedicalizing the Labor of Love: Narratives of Maternal Disability and Reproduction
2008	Dis/locating the Margins: Gloria Anzaldúa and New Potential for Feminist Pedagogy
2008	Mommy, Where Do Babies Come From? Egg Donation and Popular Constructions of Authentic Motherhood
2008	Parallel Histories and Mutual Lessons: Advocates Negotiate Feminism and Domestic Violence Services in Immigrant Communities in Boston
2008	SILENCE=DEATH: (Re)Presentations of "The AIDS Epidemic" 1981-1990
2008	The "Sparrow in the Cage": Images of the Emaciated Body in Representations of Anorexia Nervosa
2008	Theater of the Abject: The Powers of Horror in Sarah Kane's
2008	Toward a Participatory Framework for Inclusive Citizenship: Haitian Immigrant Women's Claim to Civic Space in Boston
2008	"Keepin' it Real," Queering the Real: Queer Hip Hop and the Performance of Authenticity	African and African American Studies
2008	On the Surface: Conceptualizing Gender and Subjectivity in Chinese Lesbian Culture	East Asian Languages and Civilization
2008	Viewing Post-War Black Politics Through a New Lens: Tracing Changes in Ann Perry's Conception of the Mother-Child Relationship, 1943-1965	History and Literature
2008	Silent Families and Invisible Sex: Christian Nationalism and the 2004 Texas Sex Education Battle	Social Studies
2008	White 2.0: Theorizing White Feminist Blogging	Social Studies

2007	Do Mothers Experience The Mommy Wars?: An Examination of the Media's Claims About the Mommy Wars and the Mothers Who Supposedly Fight In Them
2007	On The Offense: The Apologetic Defense and Women's Sports
2007	Stop Being Polite & Start Getting "Real": Examining Madonna & Black Culture Appropriation in the MTV Generation
2007	The Inviability of Balance: Performing Female Political Candidacy
2007	The Money Taboo	English
2007	Somewhere Over the Rainbow Nation: The Dynamics of the Gay and Lesbian Movement and the Countermovement After a Decade of Democracy in South Africa	Government
2007	Facing The Empress: Modern Representations of Women, Power and Ideology In Dynasty China	Religion
2007	Re-Evaluating Homosexuality: Extralegal Factors in Conservative Jewish Law	Social Studies
2007	Who's Producing Your Knowledge?: Filipina American Scholars	Social Studies

2006	"The Potential of Universality": Discovering Gender Fluidity Through Performance
2006	Coming Out of the Candlelight: Erasure, Politics, and Practice at the 2005 Boston Transgender Day of Remembrance
2006	May Our Daughters Return Home: Transnational Organizing to Halt Femicide in Ciudad Juarez
2006	She Let It Happen: An Analysis of Rape Myth Acceptance among Women	Anthropology
2006	"This is no time for the private point of view": Vexing the Confessional in the Poetry of Sylvia Plath and Anne Sexton	History and Literature
2006	Relying on the Experts: The Hidden Motives of Tampon Manufacturers, Feminist Health Activists and the Medical Community During the American Toxic Shock Epidemic from 1978- 1982	History of Science
2006	(In)visibility: Identity Rights and Subjective Experience in Gay Beirut	Social Studies
2006	Popular Feminism in the Dominican Republic	Social Studies
2006	Redefining the 'Crisis in Citizenship': The Emergence of Immigrant Women as Political Actors in the United States	Social Studies
2006	The New Goddess: Women, Progress, and Patriarchy in the Hindu Nationalist Movement	Social Studies

2005	"Takin' Back the Night!" Buffy the Vampire Slayer and "Girl Power" Feminism
2005	Bread Winners or Bread Makers? The Professional Challenges for Working Women
2005	Power to the People! Or Not: The Exceptional Decrease in Women’s Formal and Informal Political Participation in Slovenia During Democratization
2005	To Whom Many Doors Are Still Locked: Gender, Space & Power in Harvard Final Clubs
2005	Coca Politics: Women's Leadership in the Chapare	Anthropology
2005	Redressing Prostitution: Trans Sex Work and the Fragmentation of Feminist Theories	Government
2005	The Media Coverage of Women, Ten Years Later, in the 108th Congress, Has Anything Changed Since 'The Year of the Women' in 1992	Government
2005	Divided Designs: Separatism, Intersectionality, and Feminist Science in the 1970s	History of Science
2005	Completing the Circle: Singing Women's Universality and the Music of Libana	Music
2005	Attitudes, Beliefs and Behavior Towards Gays and Lesbians	Psychology
2005	Beauty and Brains: The Influence of Stereotypical Portraits of Women on Implicit Cognition	Psychology
2005	"Rational Kitchens" How Scientific Kitchen Designs Reconfigured Domestic Space and Subjectivity from the White City to the New Frankfurt	Social Studies

2004	Begin By Imagining: Reflections of Women in the Holocaust
2004	Feminism within the Frame: An Analysis of Representations of Women in the Art of Americas Collection at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston	History of Art and Architecture
2004	The Fluid Body: Gender, Agency, and Embodiment in Chöd Ritual	Religion
2004	Parodic Patriotism and Ambivalent Assimilation: A Rereading of Mary Antin's The Promised Land	Romance Languages and Literatures
2004	Virgin, Mother, Warrior: The Virgin of Guadalupe as an Icon of the Anti- Abortion Movement	Romance Languages and Literatures
2004	Feminist Evolutions: An exploration and response to the disconnect between young women and contemporary dominant feminism	Social Studies
2004	Public Enemies: South Asian and Arab Americans Navigate Racialization and Cultural Citizenship After 9/11	Social Studies
2004	The Blue Stockinged Gal of Yesterday is Gone: Life-course Decision-making and Identity Formation of 1950s Radcliffe College Graduates	Social Studies

2003	At the Narrative Center of Gravity: Stories and Identities of Queer Women of Color
2003	Embodying the Psyche, Envisioning the Self: Race, Gender, and Psychology in Postwar American Women’s Fiction
2003	From Many Mouths to Her Mind: Pursuits of Selfhood, the American Woman, and the Self-Help Book
2003	Out of Love: The Permissibility of Abuse in Love and Self Development
2003	Promising Monsters, Perilous Motherhood: The Social Construction of 20th Century Multiple Births
2003	Sexing the Gender Dysphoric Body: A Developmental Examination of Gender Identity Disorder of Childhood
2003	The Specter of Homoeroticism: Recasting Castration in David Fincher's 'Fight Club'
2003	Women's Occupational Health: A Study of Latina Immigrant Janitors at Harvard	Biology
2003	Accidental Bodies	English
2003	Transformations in the Polish Female Gender Model from Communism to Democracy	History of Science
2003	Between Nation and World: Organizing Against Domestic Violence in China	Social Studies
2003	The Process of Becoming: Cultural Identity-Formation Among Second-Generation South Asian Women in the Contexts of Marriage and Family	Social Studies

2002	A Turn of the Page: Contemporary Women’s Reading Groups in America
2002	Bordering Home
2002	Canary in a Coal Mine: The Mixed Race Woman in American History and Literature
2002	Reflections in Yellow
2002	My Rights Don't Just Come to Me: Palestinian Women Negotiating Identity	Anthropology
2002	“Progressive Conservatism”: The Intersection of Boston Women's Involvement in Anti-Suffrage and Progressive Reform, 1908 - 1920	History
2002	“What Can a Woman Do?”: Gender, Youth, and Citizenship at Women's Colleges During World War I	History
2002	Building Strong Community: A Study of Queer Groups at Northeastern, Brandeis, and Harvard	Sociology

2001	Taking Care: Stereotypes, Medical Care, and HIV+ Women
2001	Of Tongues Untied: Stories Told and Retold by Working-Class Women
2001	On Display: Deconstructing Modes of Fashion Exhibition
2001	The Un-Candidates: Gender and Outsider Signals in Women's Political Advertisements
2001	Tugging at the Seams: Feminist Resistance in Pornography
2001	Witnessing Memory': Narrating the Realities of Immigrant and Refugee Women
2001	“La Revolution Tranquille”: Concubinage: The Renegotiation of Gender and the Deregulation of Conjugal Kinship in the Contemporary French Household	Anthropology
2001	What is “natural” about the menstrual cycle?	Anthropology
2001	Multi-Drug Resistance in Malaria: Identification and Characterization of a Putative ABC-Transporter in Plasmodium falciparum	Biology
2001	“We Was Girls Together”: The Role of Female Friendship in Nella Larsen's and Toni Morrison's	English
2001	Pom-Pom Power--The History of Cheerleading at Harvard	History
2001	Conception of Gender in Artificial Intelligence	History of Science
2001	“Hysterilization”: Hysterectomy as Sterilization in the 1970s United States	History of Science
2001	What's Blood Got to Do with It? Menarche, Menstrual Attitudes, Experiences, and Behaviors	Psychology
2001	Facing the Screen: Portrayals of Female Body Image on Websites for Teenagers	Sociology
2001	They're Not Those Kinds of Girls: The Absence of Physical Pleasure in Teenage Girls' Sexual Narratives	Sociology

2000	(Re)Writing Woman: Confronting Gender in the Czech Masculine Narrative
2000	“Like a Nuprin: Little, Yellow, Queer”: The Case for Queer Asian American Autobiofictional Performance
2000	Sex, Mothers, and Bodies: Chilean Sex Workers Voicing their Honor	Anthropology
2000	Mapping his Manila: Feminine Geographies of the City in Nick Joaquin's	English
2000	Precious Mettle: Margaret DeWitt, Susanna Townsend, and Mary Jane Megquier Negotiate Environment, Refinement & Femininity in Gold Rush California	History
2000	From to : Analyzing the Aesthetics of Spoken Word Poetry	History and Literature
2000	The Hymeneal Seal: Embodying Female Virginity in Early Modern England	History of Science
2000	Suit Her Up, She's Ready to Play: How the Woman-in-a-Suit Tackles Social Binaries	Social Studies

1999	"From the Bones of Memory": Women's Stories to the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission
1999	"When We Get Married, We'll Live Next Door to Each Other": Adolescence, Girl-Friends, and "Lesbian" Desires
1999	Healthy Bodies, Healthy Lives: The Women's Health Initiative and the Politics of Science
1999	Adah Isaacs Menken, The [Un]True Stories: History, Identity, Memory, Menken, and Me	Afro-American Studies
1999	Situated Science: Margaret Cavendish and Natural Philosophical Discourse	English
1999	From "Sympathizers" to Organizers: The Emergence of the Women's Liberation Movement from the New Left at Harvard-Radcliffe	History
1999	Re-(e)valu[ate/ing] Madonna: Understanding the Success of Post-Modernity's Greatest Diva	Music
1999	"Let's Not Change the Subject!": Deliberation on Abortion on the Web, in the House and in Abortion Dialogue Groups	Social Studies
1999	A Socialist-Feminist Re-vision: An Integration of Socialist Feminist and Psychoanalytic Accounts of Women's Oppression	Social Studies
1999	Common Visions, Differing Priorities, Challenging Dynamics: An Examination of a Low-Income Immigrant Women's Cooperative Project	Sociology

1998	"I Don't Want to Grow Up - If It's Like That": Carson McCullers's Construction of Female Adolescence and Women's Coming of Age
1998	Another Toxic Shock: Health Risks from Rayon and Dioxin in Chlorine Bleached Tampons Manufactured in the United States, a Public Policy Analysis
1998	Damned Beauties of the Roaring Twenties: The Death of Young, White, Urban, American Women and
1998	Just Saying No? A Closer Look at the Messages of Three Sexual Abstinence Programs
1998	The Cost of Making Money: Exploring the Dissociative Tendencies of College Educated Strippers
1998	Whose Sexuality? Masochistic Sexual Fantasies and Notions of Feminist Subjectivity
1998	That Takes Balls…or Does it? A Historical and Endocrinologic Examination of the Relation of Androgens to Confidence in Males and Females	Anthropology
1998	black tar/and honey: Anne Sexton in Performance	English
1998	Redefining the Politics of Presence: The Case of Indian Women in Panchayati Raj Institutions	Government
1998	The Psychic Connection: The historical evolution of the psychic hotline in terms of gender, spirituality, and talk therapy	History
1998	Visions and Revisions of Love: and the Crisis of Heterosexual Romance	Visual and Environmental Studies

1997	"I Feel it in My Bones That You are Making History": The Life and Leadership of Pauli Murray
1997	"Reports from the Front: Welfare Mothers Up in Arms": A Case Study with Policy Implications
1997	All the Weapons I Carry 'Round with Me: Five Adult Women Survivors of Childhood Sexual Abuse Speak about Their Experiences with Impact Model Mugging
1997	: Manufacturing Multiplicity from American Fashion Magazines
1997	Listening to Stories of Prison: The HIV Epidemic in MCI-Framingham
1997	The Communicating Wire: Bell Telephone, Farm Wives, and the Struggle for Rural Telephone Service
1997	When I Grow Up I Want to Be a Good Girl: Adolescent Fiction and Patriarchal Notions of Womanhood
1997	Out of the Courtroom and onto the Ballot: The Politicization of the 1930s and '40s Massachusetts Birth Control Movement	History
1997	"The Role For Which God Created Them": Women in the United States' Religious Right	Social Studies
1997	Potent Vulnerability: American Jewry and the Romance with Diaspora	Social Studies

1996	"I Certainly Try and Make the Most of it": An Exploratory Study of Teenage Mothers Who Have Remained in High School
1996	In Their Own Words: Life and Love in the Literary Transactions of Adolescent Girls
1996	Math/Theory: Constructing a Feminist Epistemology of Mathematics
1996	Mirror, Mirror on the Wall…" Nella Larsen, Alice Walker, and the Self-Representation of Black Female Sexuality
1996	Racial Iconography and Feminist Film: A Cultural Critique of Independent Women's Cinema
1996	Real Plums in an Imaginary Cake: Mary McCarthy and the Writing of Autobiography
1996	Single-Mother Poverty: A Critical Analysis of Current Welfare Theory and Policy from a Feminist, Cultural Perspective
1996	Intra-household Resource Allocations in South Africa: Is There a Gender Bias?	Economics
1996	Vision and Revision: The Naked Body and the Borders of Sex and Gender	English
1996	Are Abusive Men Different? And Can We Predict Their Behavior?	Psychology
1996	Racial Iconography and Feminist Film: A Cultural Critique of Independent Women's Cinema	Visual and Environmental Studies

1995	"What Does a Girl Do?": Teenage Girls' Voices in the Girl Group Music of the 1950s and '60s
1995	Continuing the Struggle: Gender Equality in an Egalitarian Community
1995	Elements of Community: Re-entering the Landscape of Utah Mormonism
1995	Loving and Living Surrealism: Reuniting Leonora Carrington and Max Ernst
1995	Reading the Body: The Physiological Politics of Gender in Charlotte Bronte's , Margaret Oliphant's , and Mary Braddon's
1995	Searching for a Place Apart: A Journey into and out of Bulimia Nervosa
1995	The Flagstad Case
1995	The Sound Factory
1995	Visual Strategies of the Contemporary U.S. Abortion Conflict
1995	Working Women, Legitimate Lives: The Gender Values Underlying 1994 Welfare Reform
1995	The Hormone Replacement Therapy Decision: Women at the Crossroads of Women's Health	Anthropology
1995	The Economic Consequences of Domestic Violence	Economics
1995	"It's My Skin": Gender, Pathology, and the Jewish Body in Holocaust Narratives	English
1995	Essentialist Tensions: Feminist Theories of the "Maleness" of Philosophy	Philosophy

1994	Differences Among Friends: International feminists, USAID, and Nigerian women
1994	Helke Sander and the Roots of Change: Gaining a Foothold for Women Filmmakers in Postwar Germany
1994	On Dorothy Allison's and Literary Theory on Pain and Witnessing
1994	Redefining : A Study of Chicana Identity and the Malinche Image
1994	The Feminist Critique of the Birth Control Pill
1994	The Re-visited: Women Villains in Contemporary Hollywood Cinema
1994	The Framings of Ethel Rosenberg: Gender, Law, Politics, and Culture in Cold War America
1994	Tradition and Transgression: Gender Roles in Ballroom Dancing
1994	When Pregnancy is a Crime: Addiction, Pregnancy and the Law
1994	Strategic Sentiments: Javanese Women and the Anthropology of Emotion	Anthropology
1994	Engendering Bodies in Pain: Trauma and Silence in Dorothy Allison's	English
1994	The Flowers of Middle Summer	English
1994	Conceptions of Self, Relationships and Gender Roles in Japanese American Women in California and Hawaii	Psychology

1993	Bad Mothers and Wicked (wo)Men: Facts and Fictions about Serial Killers
1993	Child of Imagination: Literary Analysis of Woolf, Steedman, Rich & Gilligan
1993	Gender Roles on Trial During the Reign of Terror
1993	Grief and Rage: The Politics of Death and the Political Implications of Mourning
1993	Jewels in the Net: Women Bringing Relation into the Light of American Buddhist Practice
1993	Mamas Fighting for Freedom in Kenya
1993	Rethinking "Feminine Wiles": Sexuality and Subversion in the Fiction of Jane Bowles
1993	Sexing the Machine: Feminism, Technology, and Postmodernism
1993	Sisterhood is Robin? The Politics of the Woman-Centered Feminist Discourse in the New Ms. Magazine
1993	"Thank God for Technology!" Taking a Second Look at the Technocratic Birth Experience
1993	Where She Slept These Many Years
1993	Women's Narratives of Anger: Exploring the Relationship between Anger and Self
1993	Edith Wharton's : Gendered Paradoxes and Resistance to Representation	English
1993	Sociocognitive and Motivational Influences on Gender-Linked Conduct	Psychology

1992	Conceptions of the Female Self: A Struggle Between Dominant and Resistant Forces
1992	Objectified Subjects: Women in AIDS Clinical Drug Trials
1992	Re-membering the American Dream: Woman in the Process of Placing a Beam in a Bag
1992	: Voices of Resistance
1992	Women and War
1992	Women of the Cloister, Women of the World: American Benedictines in Transition
1992	The Changing Lives of Palestinian Women in the Galilee: Reflections on Some Aspects of Modernization by Three Generations	Anthropology
1992	Blending the Spectrum: An Interdisciplinary Approach to Women and HIV Disease	Biology
1992	Maestra: Five Female Orchestral Conductors in the United States	Music
1992	Negotiating Identity: Multiracial People Challenging the Discourse	Social Studies
1992	Pain, Privacy, and Photography: Approaches to Picturing the Experiences of Battered Women	Visual and Environmental Studies

1991	Incest and the Denial of Paternal Fallibility in Psychoanalysis and Feminist Theory
1991	Sex and the Ivory Girl: Judy Blume Speaks to the Erotics of Disembodiment in Adolescent Girls' Discourses of Sexual Desire
1991	Women's Secrets, Feminine Desires: Narrative Hiding and Revealing in Frances Burney's , Emily Bronte's , and Mary Braddon's
1991	Workers, Mothers and Working Mothers: The Politics of Fetal Protection in the Workplace
1991	Appalachian Identity: A Contested Discourse	Anthropology
1991	Half-Baked in Botswana: Why Cookstoves Aren't Heating Up the Kitchen	Economics
1991	"Management of Men": Political Wives in British Parliamentary Politics, 1846-1867	History
1991	re:Visions of Feminism: An Analysis of Contemporary Film and Video Directed by Asian American Women	Social Studies

1990	A Mini-Revolution: hemlines, gender identity, and the 1960s
1990	Feeding Women and Children First: A Study of the Special Supplemental Food Program for Women, Infants and Children
1990	On Refracting a Voice: Readings of Tatiana Tolstaia
1990	Private Lives in Public Spaces: Marie Stopes, The Mothers' Clinics, and the Practice of Contraception
1990	: Meaning and Community Re-orient/ed
1990	With Child: Women's Experiences of Childbirth from Personal, Historical, and Cultural Perspectives
1990	Representing "Miss Lizzie": Class and Gender in the Borden Case	History and Literature
1990	Seductive Strategies: Towards an Interactive Model of Consumerism	History and Literature
1990	Nancy Chodorow's Theory Examined: Contraceptive Use Among Sexually Active Adolescents	Psychology
1990	Choosing Sides: Massachusetts Activists Formulate Opinions on the Abortion Issue	Social Studies

1989	Influence of Early Hollywood Films on Women's Roles in America
1989	Rethinking Sex and Gender in a World of Women without Men: Changing Consciousness and Incorporation of the Feminine in Three Utopias by Women
1989	A Different Voice in Politics: Women As Elites	Government
1989	The Lady Teaches Well: Middle-Class Women and the Sunday School Movement in England, 1780-1830	History
1989	The Analytical Muse: Historiography, Gender and Science in the Life of Lady Ada Lovelace	History of Science
1989	The Tragic Part of Happiness: The Construction of the Subject in	Literatures
1989	The Ideology of Gender Roles in Contemporary Mormonism: Feminist Reform and Traditional Reaction	Religion

1988	La fonction génératrice: French Feminism, Motherhood, and Legal Reform, 1880-1914.

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25 Ways to Write Gender Survey Questions

by Formplus | Last updated: May 6, 2020

Customer loyalty: 25 survey questionnaires examples, 45 employee survey questions + [free template], 55 relationship & couple survey questionnaire, 25 student survey questions + [template examples].

In the past, it was somewhat easier to binarily categorize an individual as either male or female, gender-wise. These days, you may not be able to tell a person's gender or sexual orientation without asking or carrying out a gender survey.

As we usher in a new decade, it is important to note that you simply cannot assume that an individual fits into predetermined sexual or gender constructs. This is why carrying out a gender survey has become common practice; especially in formal environments.

Carrying out a gender survey is no mean task hence; it is important to know the kind of questions that should be contained in your survey plus other necessary information. If your gender survey puts respondents in a box, you may not achieve the most objective results at the end of the day.

Importance of Gender Survey

Gender is ever-evolving and clearly one of the most discussed issues of our time. People who subscribe to gender identities that are not male or female are often looking for a medium to express the realities of their gender identities and this is what a gender survey offers.

Gender surveys help organizations to accurately profile the gender spectra of their workforce and to develop gender-inclusive policies that cater to all genders present.

Gender surveys are important in institutions of learning because they help the school authorities to understand the gender balance, and how to protect minority gender identities from harassment and bullying.

By carrying out a gender survey, you would gain more insight into the peculiarities of each gender identity. Gender surveys, in the end, help people of different gender identities to have a sense of inclusiveness in their societies.

Types of Questions to Use for Gender Surveys

Close ended questions.

A close-ended question is a type of question that limits the respondent to a few possible answers. This type of question typically requires survey respondents to choose from a limited set of predetermined responses which are already provided in the survey.

There are different types of close-ended questions that you can include in your gender survey. Examples include dichotomous questions, multiple-choice questions that require respondents to choose from provided options and rating scale questions which assign a qualitative measure to a particular gender concept or ideology.

Examples of Close-ended Questions

What is your current gender identity?
Trans-males
Trans-female
Are you bi-sexual?

For how long have you been trans-female?
10-20 years
More than 20 years

Open-Ended Questions

An open-ended question is a type of question that does not limit respondents to a range of predetermined answers. This type of question allows respondents to fully express themselves and provide thoughtful, deliberate, and sometimes, lengthy answers to gender survey questions.

The responses provided to open-ended questions can be up to a paragraph long or even an essay. Open-ended questions allow you to gain better insight into the respondent's thoughts, feelings and perceptions, and valuable information about the subject at hand.

Examples of Open-ended Questions

Describe a scenario where you were discriminated against because of your gender.
What was it like when you found out you were gay?
How do you deal with gender discrimination?

Rating Questions

A rating question is a type of question that requires respondents to provide answers to survey questions by scaling these answers. It is a common type of question that allows survey respondents to rank their disposition towards the issues raised in the survey.

Examples of Rating Questions

How would you rate the overall disposition of your gender identity?
Not acceptable
Mildly acceptable
Very acceptable
How would you rate the level of gender bias in your immediate environment?
Non-existent
Neutral

Tips for Asking Gender Questions in Survey

Leave a Way Out

While drafting gender questions in a survey, it is important to always keep at the back of your mind the fact that gender is a spectrum. As such, you may not be able to fully reflect all gender types in your questions.

To avoid the problem of excluding persons of certain genders in your survey which may result in survey bias, it is best to leave a way out in your questions. Always include neutral options such as "others" or "doesn't apply" to avoid night survey dropout rates.

Don't Be Afraid to Ask

The essence of a survey is to get people's honest opinions about important issues such as gender. Contrary to what is believed, people are quite enthusiastic about responding to well-crafted SOGI questions, in fact, people are more likely to skip questions about personal income than gender.

The trick, however, is to carefully word your questions so that they are not partial, biased or judgmental. People want to talk about gender but more importantly, they need to feel safe responding to questions about their gender or sexual orientation.

Understand Your Audience

As earlier indicated, gender is socially defined and certain gender identities such as trans-male and trans-female are not formally recognized in many African and Asian societies. In this vein, it is important to craft gender questions in a survey; bearing in mind the gender stereotypes applicable in your survey environments.

Transgender or queer gender questions and options might not be applicable to surveys in Africa or Asia as much as they are in Europe and America. Always research on the gender laws and stereotypes in a country before creating SOGI questions.

Don’t Ask Except It’s Important

Gender is as private as it gets already as such, there's no need to ask questions that probe unnecessarily into the personal lives of the respondents. Unless you plan to actually make use of the survey response data from a particular gender question, there's no reason to include it in your survey.

Sensitive gender questions in your survey may lead to high survey dropout rates or survey bias. When you ask the right questions, you would get meaningful insight into different gender identities and sexual orientations.

Read more about asking gender questions in a demographic survey

Gender Survey Questions Examples

Prefer to self describe
Prefer not to say
Androsexual
Prefer to self describe
Prefer not to say
Prefer not to say
10-15 years
15-20 years
20 years and above
Highlight the stereotypes commonly faced due to your gender identity.
Non-conforming
What triggered your change of gender identity?
Government institutions
Prefer to self-describe
Prefer to self-describe
10 years and above
How did you find out you were bi-sexual?
What support systems do you have as a trans-male?
What support systems do you have as a trans-female?

What is Sex?

Sex refers to the biological, genetic, and physiological factors that typically define individuals as being male, female, or hermaphrodite. According to MedicalNewsToday , sex can be viewed as the biological differences between males and females, such as the genitalia and genetic differences.

This means that sex is strictly a biological construct that is determined naturally during the conception process. It is important to note that in many instances, an individual's biologically assigned sexual orientation may not tally with his or her preferred gender identity.

Also, there are some individuals who embody male and female biological and physiological features. Such individuals are referred to as hermaphrodites or intersex.

What is Gender?

Gender is a social phenomenon that consists of a range of socially defined characteristics of masculinity and femininity. According to the Swiss Agency of Development and Control , gender is determined by the conception of tasks, functions, and roles attributed to women and men in society.

It is a flexible concept that typically differs from one society to another and can be changed over time. It is important to note that gender is a social spectrum that encompasses a wide range of possibilities between and beyond masculinity and femininity.

While many societies attempt to create a correspondence between one's sex and gender identity, it is important to note that this is not always the case. An individual may be born male but subscribe to femininity with regards to his gender and vice versa.

Differences between Sex and Gender

Sex is biologically-defined while gender is socially constructed. One's sex is almost always determined at conception and is a function of hormones, chromosomes, and other physiological features while one's gender is defined by social norms, beliefs, and preferences.
Sex is almost always binary while gender is a spectrum.
Sex is due to nature while gender results from socio-cultural nurturing.
Gender is flexible while sex is mostly fixed.

Types of Gender

Male is a gender type that is in line with masculinity and is typically used to refer to individuals (men and boys) who are physiologically and biologically constructed as male. Males have XY chromosomes and embody other genetically defined characteristics of maleness.

Males are cisgenders because they align with the social conditioning of their sex. In many societies, males are expected to be natural leaders, strong, aggressive, logically-driven, ambitious, sexual, physical, wealth-oriented, bold, risk-takers and emotionally-independent individuals, unlike their female counterparts.

Female is a gender type that aligns with femininity and is typically used to define individuals (women and girls) who are physiologically and genetically conditioned as female. Females have XX chromosomes and embody other biological criteria that define femaleness.

Females are cisgenders because they align with the gender stereotype of their sex. In many societies, females are socially conditioned to be weak, subservient, domesticated, emotionally-driven, emotionally-dependent, submissive, withdrawn, careful, sexually-appealing and fragile, unlike their male counterparts.

Transmale is a gender type for individuals who are born female and identify as male. In other words, it refers to an individual who was labeled female at birth but chooses to identify as male, gender-wise because she has a strong masculine identity.

Trans males often undergo a process of gender reassignment or transitioning that may involve certain surgical procedures plus social dynamism, and allows them to fully integrate with their gender identity. In recent times, there has been a lot of advocacy for transmale inclusion and non-discrimination in society.

Trans-Female

Trans-female is a gender type that includes all male-to-female transgender individuals who are born male but choose femininity as their gender identity. Just like trans-males, trans-females often undergo gender reassignment or transitioning in order to fully integrate with their new identity.

Gender Queer

GenderQueer is a gender identity that typically defines individuals who do not subscribe to conventional gender distinctions but instead, identifies as none, one or a combination of gender types. It refers to a spectrum of gender identities that are outside the conventional gender binary.

GenderQueer is also referred to as non-conforming or non-binary and involves transitioning between and among gender identities of male and female. Individuals who identify as genderqueer maintain that their gender is fluid, flexible and can shift from time to time as they evolve.

Types of Sexual Orientation

To be bi-sexual means being sexually attracted to both men and women. Bisexuality is a sexual orientation that defines people who are not exclusively physically and emotionally attracted to individuals of a particular gender type at different times of their lives.

To be gay means to be attracted to an individual of the same sex as you are. According to the Australian Psychological Society , same-sex attraction is as normal and natural as heterosexual attraction; in fact, 1 in every 10 persons identify as gay.

To be asexual means to not experience any form of sexual attraction. Asexuality is a sexual orientation that defines individuals who are not interested in having penetrative or non-penetrative sex. with another individual even if they find such a person physically attractive.

This sexual orientation refers to people in the asexual spectrum who only experience sexual or emotional attraction in certain situations. Such situations may involve after they must have formed a strong emotional or romantic connection with a partner.

Other types of sexual orientation include pansexual , bi-curious , allosexual , aromantic , androsexual .

Why Should You Use Formplus for Gender Surveys?

Formplus is an online data gathering platform that you can use to collect and process form responses in real-time. This platform allows you to create different types of gender surveys and share them with multiple persons at the same time.

It has a unique customization feature that allows you to personalize your surveys, and include background images, preferred color themes, logos, image fields, and custom integrations. You can modify the Formplus survey template to gather gender survey responses from your target audience.

With Formplus, you can swiftly analyze survey responses by downloading survey response data as CSV files directly. This makes it easier to sort gender survey responses.

As with other types of surveys , having the right questions goes a long way to determine the success of your survey. Gender is a sensitive survey niche because it often involves individuals revealing information that is personal to them.

Therefore, it is best to always craft gender surveys to be objective, professional and straight to the point. In this article, we've highlighted a number of important information that you should always remember when it comes to creating gender survey questions.

More importantly, it is best to create online gender surveys using data-gathering platforms like Formplus because online gender surveys are easier to administer, track and analyze. Visit Formplus today to create your unique and personalized online gender survey forms.

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The following are examples of encyclopedias, handbooks, and annotated bibliographies that provide background information on your topic which you can use to focus your research question. These resources will also cite books and articles that can jump start your search for more specific research literature.

Reference EBook Collections

Search within these collections to identify reference sources and entries within these sources relevant to your topic.

SAGE Knowledge This link opens in a new window An online collection of subject encyclopedias and handbooks covering a wide-variety of subjects in the social sciences. Particularly strong for handbook coverage.
Oxford Bibliographies This link opens in a new window Offers annotated bibliographies of the most important books and articles on specific topics in a growing range of subject areas. Particularly useful for anyone beginning research.
Oxford Reference Online This link opens in a new window Online version of many Oxford University Press reference works, ranging from specialized dictionaries and companions to major reference works such as the Encyclopedia of Human Rights, the Oxford Encyclopedia of Food and Drink, the Oxford Encyclopedia of Latinos and Latinas in the United States, and the Oxford Encyclopedia of Economic History, among many others.

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Sage Research Methods Core This link opens in a new window SAGE Research Methods supports research at all levels by providing material to guide users through every step of the research process. SAGE Research Methods is the ultimate methods library with more than 1000 books, reference works, journal articles, and instructional videos by world-leading academics from across the social sciences, including the largest collection of qualitative methods books available online from any scholarly publisher. – Publisher

Examples of titles included in the Sage Research Methods database:

Feminist Measures in Survey Research (2013)
Handbook of Feminist Research : Theory & Praxis (2012)
Handbook of Critical & Indigenous Methodologies (2008)
Gender & Qualitative Methods (2003)

Additional books on research methods, academic writing, and other aspects of graduate education can be found in NUSearch . One example of a book found using one of the subject headings from the following selective list is included:

Academic writing
Dissertations, academic
Dissertations, writing
Bisexuals -- Research -- Methodology
Ethnology -- Methodology (substitute any subject term for "Ethnology")
Feminism -- Research -- Methodology
Gays -- Research -- Methodology
Lesbians -- Research -- Methodology
LGBTQ+ people -- Research
LGBTQ+ people -- Statistics
Masculinity -- Research -- Methodology
Men -- Research -- Methodology
Queer Theory
Sexology -- Research
Sexual Minorities -- Research
Sexual Minorities -- Statistics
Social sciences -- Research
Social sciences -- Research -- Methodology
Transgender people -- Research -- Methodology
Women -- Research -- Methodology

Research Methods: Primary Sources This link opens in a new window Research Methods Primary Sources is an exciting new platform that introduces humanities and social science students to the key approaches and methodologies of working with source material. Designed to be used in the classroom or for independent study, this resource will empower students to engage with primary sources and assess historical evidence with confidence. more... less... At the heart of Research Methods, you will find nearly 200 hundred essays, videos, "How to" guides and case studies by subject specialists which answer all of your questions about working with primary sources. From guidance on where you can find historical documents, to the questions you might want to pose and how best to approach analysing the content they hold, this platform gathers together practical advice and instruction from experts working around the world. – Publisher
Archival Work as Qualitative Sociology special issue on Archival Work as Qualitative Sociology in case you would like to add this resource to your tools/guides. more... less... A special issue of the journal, Qualitative Sociology
Gender and Sexuality Studies Program
Institute for Sexual and Gender Minority Health and Wellbeing First research institute in U.S. that is focused exclusively on LGBT health.
Sexualities Project at Northwestern Project of the Gender & Sexuality Studies Program at Northwestern University.

The language used to describe library, archival, and other cultural collections has been under scrutiny to ensure inclusiveness for several decades. The implementation of inclusive and respectful language is uneven and progress is incremental. Below are a few resources that may help you identify a range of terms to use when searching, keeping in mind that using a variety of synonyms for your research topic will be most effective, especially when searching in multiple databases and disciplines.

Northwestern University Libraries provides this Statement of Bias in Metadata along with information about our efforts to redress this bias.

Homosaurus An international linked data vocabulary of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer (LGBTQ) terms. This vocabulary is intended to function as a companion to broad subject term vocabularies, such as the Library of Congress Subject Headings
Library of Congress Subject Headings includes all Library of Congress Subject Headings, free-floating subdivisions (topical and form), Genre/Form headings, Children's (AC) headings, and validation strings* for which authority records have been created.
A Women's Thesaurus: An Index of Language Used to Describe and Locate Information by and About Women. by Mary Ellen S. Capek Call Number: Special Collections Femina Ref 025.49305 W872 Publication Date: 1987 Over 5,000 terms, not derived from the Library of Congress Subject Headings. Also at Oak Grove Library Center Request Online 025.49305 W872
Women in LC's Terms by Ellen J. Waite; Ruth Dickstein; Victoria A. Mills Call Number: Special Collections Femina Ref 025.49305 D5545w Publication Date: 1988 "A guide to the Library of Congress (LC) subject headings used for women and topics of relevance to women's lives."
LGBTQ+ Legal Resources: LC Subject Headings Library of Congress (LC) Subject Headings to use in NUSearch when researching LGBTQ+ legal issues - included as one page of a research guide created by the Library of Congress. These headings can be searched with or without the subdivisions that describe legal issues, and in combination with other keywords.

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10 Research Question Examples to Guide Your Research Project

10 Research Question Examples to Guide your Research Project

Published on October 30, 2022 by Shona McCombes . Revised on October 19, 2023.

The research question is one of the most important parts of your research paper , thesis or dissertation . It’s important to spend some time assessing and refining your question before you get started.

The exact form of your question will depend on a few things, such as the length of your project, the type of research you’re conducting, the topic , and the research problem . However, all research questions should be focused, specific, and relevant to a timely social or scholarly issue.

Once you’ve read our guide on how to write a research question , you can use these examples to craft your own.

Research question	Explanation
	The first question is not enough. The second question is more , using .
	Starting with “why” often means that your question is not enough: there are too many possible answers. By targeting just one aspect of the problem, the second question offers a clear path for research.
	The first question is too broad and subjective: there’s no clear criteria for what counts as “better.” The second question is much more . It uses clearly defined terms and narrows its focus to a specific population.
	It is generally not for academic research to answer broad normative questions. The second question is more specific, aiming to gain an understanding of possible solutions in order to make informed recommendations.
	The first question is too simple: it can be answered with a simple yes or no. The second question is , requiring in-depth investigation and the development of an original argument.
	The first question is too broad and not very . The second question identifies an underexplored aspect of the topic that requires investigation of various to answer.
	The first question is not enough: it tries to address two different (the quality of sexual health services and LGBT support services). Even though the two issues are related, it’s not clear how the research will bring them together. The second integrates the two problems into one focused, specific question.
	The first question is too simple, asking for a straightforward fact that can be easily found online. The second is a more question that requires and detailed discussion to answer.
? dealt with the theme of racism through casting, staging, and allusion to contemporary events?	The first question is not — it would be very difficult to contribute anything new. The second question takes a specific angle to make an original argument, and has more relevance to current social concerns and debates.
	The first question asks for a ready-made solution, and is not . The second question is a clearer comparative question, but note that it may not be practically . For a smaller research project or thesis, it could be narrowed down further to focus on the effectiveness of drunk driving laws in just one or two countries.

Note that the design of your research question can depend on what method you are pursuing. Here are a few options for qualitative, quantitative, and statistical research questions.

Type of research	Example question
Qualitative research question
Quantitative research question
Statistical research question

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Gender Stereotypes of the US Women Words: 865
Gender Stereotypes in Academic and Family Settings Words: 2173
Women’s Views on Long-Existing Gender Stereotypes Words: 302
Women’s Stereotypes of Gender Roles Distribution Words: 1463
Gender Stereotypes’ Effects Career and Mental Health Words: 1111
Gender Stereotypes in Family: Research Methods Words: 560
Stereotypes of Gender Roles Words: 1275
Gender Stereotypes and Misunderstanding Words: 899
How Gender Stereotypes Affect Society Words: 765
Gender Stereotypes and Their Role in Advertising Words: 848

Gender Stereotypes: Research Question

Gender stereotypes are common for any country even if it is an egalitarian society where women are seen as equals to men. Females are still seen as passive and submissive. It is believed that women should focus on domestic issues being ‘good’ mothers and wives. More and more females try to play active roles in the special lives of the countries. Occupying high posts and gaining significant salaries does not translate into women’s empowerment, however.

It has been acknowledged that even women accept the existing conventions and tend to share the attitudes towards gender roles distribution (McKay, 2013). Aluko (2015) states that even women enjoying certain financial independence tend to share similar views on gender roles. The development of gender equality is impossible if people still share patriarchal values and adopt models developed centuries ago.

This is an interesting psychological phenomenon that needs close attention. It is important to understand why women share values associated with the empowerment of men and exploitation of women. It is important to understand the factors affecting women’s perspectives. These can be upbringing, societal norms, or even certain psychological traits that make females remain submissive and passive. It is important to focus on perceptions of women who work, and, thus, have certain financial security. These females’ ideas can shed light on factors contributing to the development of gender stereotypes.

The research questions can be formulated as follows:

What factors affect the development of opinions in women concerning gender-related issues (gender roles, distribution of power, payment bias, and so on) as seen by working females?

Reference List

Aluko, Y.A. (2015). Re-evaluating the empowerment potential of women’s paid work. International Journal of Gender and Women’s Studies, 3 (2), 190-201.

McKay, T. (2013). Female self-objectification: Causes, consequences and prevention. McNair Scholars Research Journal, 6 (1), 53-70.

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Introduction
Conclusions
Article Information

Outcomes are estimated from bivariate and multivariable generalized estimating equation models. aOR, indicates adjusted odds ratio; GAD-7, Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-item scale; PHQ-9, Patient Health Questionnaire 9-item scale; whiskers, 95% CIs.

eTable 1. Survey Instruments

eTable 2. Prevalence of Exposure Over Time

eTable 3. Prevalence of Outcomes Over Time by Exposure Group

eTable 4. E-Value Calculation for Association Between Puberty Blockers or Gender-Affirming Hormones and Mental Health Outcomes

eTable 5. Examining Association Between Puberty Blockers or Gender-Affirming Hormones and Mental Health Outcomes Separately

eTable 6. Bivariate Model Restricted to Youths Ages 13 to 17 Years

eTable 7. Multivariable Model Restricted to 90 Youths Ages 13 to 17 Years

eTable 8. Sensitivity Analyses using Patient Health Questionnaire 8-item Scale Score of 10 or Greater for Moderate to Severe Depression

eFigure 1. Schematic of Generalized Estimating Equation Model

eFigure 2. Association Between Receipt of Gender-Affirming Hormones or Puberty Blockers and Mental Health Outcomes

eReferences

Medical Groups Defend Patient-Physician Relationship and Access to Adolescent Gender-Affirming Care JAMA Medical News & Perspectives April 19, 2022 This Medical News article discusses physicians’ advocacy to protect patients and the patient-physician relationship amid efforts by politicians to limit access or criminalize gender-affirming care. Bridget M. Kuehn, MSJ
As Laws Restricting Health Care Surge, Some US Physicians Choose Between Fight or Flight JAMA Medical News & Perspectives June 13, 2023 In this Medical News article, 13 physicians and health care experts spoke with JAMA about the increasing efforts to criminalize evidence-based medical care in the US. Melissa Suran, PhD, MSJ
Data Errors in eTables 2 and 3 JAMA Network Open Correction July 26, 2022
Improving Mental Health Among Transgender and Gender-Diverse Youth JAMA Network Open Invited Commentary February 25, 2022 Brett Dolotina, BS; Jack L. Turban, MD, MHS

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Tordoff DM , Wanta JW , Collin A , Stepney C , Inwards-Breland DJ , Ahrens K. Mental Health Outcomes in Transgender and Nonbinary Youths Receiving Gender-Affirming Care. JAMA Netw Open. 2022;5(2):e220978. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2022.0978

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Mental Health Outcomes in Transgender and Nonbinary Youths Receiving Gender-Affirming Care

1 Department of Epidemiology, University of Washington, Seattle
2 Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle
3 School of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle
4 Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine, Department of Adolescent and Young Adult Medicine, Seattle Children’s Hospital, Seattle, Washington
5 University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, Rady Children's Hospital
6 Division of Adolescent Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Seattle Children’s Hospital, Seattle, Washington
Invited Commentary Improving Mental Health Among Transgender and Gender-Diverse Youth Brett Dolotina, BS; Jack L. Turban, MD, MHS JAMA Network Open
Medical News & Perspectives Medical Groups Defend Patient-Physician Relationship and Access to Adolescent Gender-Affirming Care Bridget M. Kuehn, MSJ JAMA
Medical News & Perspectives As Laws Restricting Health Care Surge, Some US Physicians Choose Between Fight or Flight Melissa Suran, PhD, MSJ JAMA
Correction Data Errors in eTables 2 and 3 JAMA Network Open

Question Is gender-affirming care for transgender and nonbinary (TNB) youths associated with changes in depression, anxiety, and suicidality?

Findings In this prospective cohort of 104 TNB youths aged 13 to 20 years, receipt of gender-affirming care, including puberty blockers and gender-affirming hormones, was associated with 60% lower odds of moderate or severe depression and 73% lower odds of suicidality over a 12-month follow-up.

Meaning This study found that access to gender-affirming care was associated with mitigation of mental health disparities among TNB youths over 1 year; given this population's high rates of adverse mental health outcomes, these data suggest that access to pharmacological interventions may be associated with improved mental health among TNB youths over a short period.

Importance Transgender and nonbinary (TNB) youths are disproportionately burdened by poor mental health outcomes owing to decreased social support and increased stigma and discrimination. Although gender-affirming care is associated with decreased long-term adverse mental health outcomes among these youths, less is known about its association with mental health immediately after initiation of care.

Objective To investigate changes in mental health over the first year of receiving gender-affirming care and whether initiation of puberty blockers (PBs) and gender-affirming hormones (GAHs) was associated with changes in depression, anxiety, and suicidality.

Design, Setting, and Participants This prospective observational cohort study was conducted at an urban multidisciplinary gender clinic among TNB adolescents and young adults seeking gender-affirming care from August 2017 to June 2018. Data were analyzed from August 2020 through November 2021.

Exposures Time since enrollment and receipt of PBs or GAHs.

Main Outcomes and Measures Mental health outcomes of interest were assessed via the Patient Health Questionnaire 9-item (PHQ-9) and Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-item (GAD-7) scales, which were dichotomized into measures of moderate or severe depression and anxiety (ie, scores ≥10), respectively. Any self-report of self-harm or suicidal thoughts over the previous 2 weeks was assessed using PHQ-9 question 9. Generalized estimating equations were used to assess change from baseline in each outcome at 3, 6, and 12 months of follow-up. Bivariate and multivariable logistic models were estimated to examine temporal trends and investigate associations between receipt of PBs or GAHs and each outcome.

Results Among 104 youths aged 13 to 20 years (mean [SD] age, 15.8 [1.6] years) who participated in the study, there were 63 transmasculine individuals (60.6%), 27 transfeminine individuals (26.0%), 10 nonbinary or gender fluid individuals (9.6%), and 4 youths who responded “I don’t know” or did not respond to the gender identity question (3.8%). At baseline, 59 individuals (56.7%) had moderate to severe depression, 52 individuals (50.0%) had moderate to severe anxiety, and 45 individuals (43.3%) reported self-harm or suicidal thoughts. By the end of the study, 69 youths (66.3%) had received PBs, GAHs, or both interventions, while 35 youths had not received either intervention (33.7%). After adjustment for temporal trends and potential confounders, we observed 60% lower odds of depression (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 0.40; 95% CI, 0.17-0.95) and 73% lower odds of suicidality (aOR, 0.27; 95% CI, 0.11-0.65) among youths who had initiated PBs or GAHs compared with youths who had not. There was no association between PBs or GAHs and anxiety (aOR, 1.01; 95% CI, 0.41, 2.51).

Conclusions and Relevance This study found that gender-affirming medical interventions were associated with lower odds of depression and suicidality over 12 months. These data add to existing evidence suggesting that gender-affirming care may be associated with improved well-being among TNB youths over a short period, which is important given mental health disparities experienced by this population, particularly the high levels of self-harm and suicide.

Transgender and nonbinary (TNB) youths are disproportionately burdened by poor mental health outcomes, including depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation and attempts. 1 - 5 These disparities are likely owing to high levels of social rejection, such as a lack of support from parents 6 , 7 and bullying, 6 , 8 , 9 and increased stigma and discrimination experienced by TNB youths. Multidisciplinary care centers have emerged across the country to address the health care needs of TNB youths, which include access to medical gender-affirming interventions, such as puberty blockers (PBs) and gender-affirming hormones (GAHs). 10 These centers coordinate care and help youths and their families address barriers to care, such as lack of insurance coverage 11 and travel times. 12 Gender-affirming care is associated with decreased rates of long-term adverse outcomes among TNB youths. Specifically, PBs, GAHs, and gender-affirming surgeries have all been found to be independently associated with decreased rates of depression, anxiety, and other adverse mental health outcomes. 13 - 16 Access to these interventions is also associated with a decreased lifetime incidence of suicidal ideation among adults who had access to PBs during adolescence. 17 Conversely, TNB youths who present to care later in adolescence or young adulthood experience more adverse mental health outcomes. 18 Despite this robust evidence base, legislation criminalizing and thus limiting access to gender-affirming medical care for minors is increasing. 19 , 20

Less is known about the association of gender-affirming care with mental health outcomes immediately after initiation of care. Several studies published from 2015 to 2020 found that receipt of PBs or GAHs was associated with improved psychological functioning 21 and body satisfaction, 22 as well as decreased depression 23 and suicidality 24 within a 1-year period. Initiation of gender-affirming care may be associated with improved short-term mental health owing to validation of gender identity and clinical staff support. Conversely, prerequisite mental health evaluations, often perceived as pathologizing by TNB youths, and initiation of GAHs may present new stressors that may be associated with exacerbation of mental health symptoms early in care, such as experiences of discrimination associated with more frequent points of engagement in a largely cisnormative health care system (eg, interactions with nonaffirming pharmacists to obtain laboratory tests, syringes, and medications). 25 Given the high risk of suicidality among TNB adolescents, there is a pressing need to better characterize mental health trends for TNB youths early in gender-affirming care. This study aimed to investigate changes in mental health among TNB youths enrolled in an urban multidisciplinary gender clinic over the first 12 months of receiving care. We also sought to investigate whether initiation of PBs or GAHs was associated with depression, anxiety, and suicidality.

This cohort study received approval from the Seattle Children’s Hospital Institutional Review Board. For youths younger than age 18 years, caregiver consent and youth assent was obtained. For youths ages 18 years and older, youth consent alone was obtained. The 12-month assessment was funded via a different mechanism than other survey time points; thus, participants were reconsented for the 12-month survey. The study follows the Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology ( STROBE ) reporting guideline.

We conducted a prospective observational cohort study of TNB youths seeking care at Seattle Children’s Gender Clinic, an urban multidisciplinary gender clinic. After a referral is placed or a patient self-refers, new patients, their caregivers, or patients with their caregivers are scheduled for a 1-hour phone intake with a care navigator who is a licensed clinical social worker. Patients are then scheduled for an appointment at the clinic with a medical provider.

All patients who completed the phone intake and in-person appointment between August 2017 and June 2018 were recruited for this study. Participants completed baseline surveys within 24 hours of their first appointment and were invited to complete follow-up surveys at 3, 6, and 12 months. Youth surveys were used to assess most variables in this study; caregiver surveys were used to assess caregiver income. Participation and completion of study surveys had no bearing on prescribing of PBs or GAHs.

We assessed 3 internalizing mental health outcomes: depression, generalized anxiety, and suicidality. Depression was assessed using the Patient Health Questionnaire 9-item scale (PHQ-9), and anxiety was assessed using the Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-item scale (GAD-7). We dichotomized PHQ-9 and GAD-7 scores into measures of moderate or severe depression and anxiety (ie, scores ≥10). 26 , 27 Self-harm and suicidal thoughts were assessed using PHQ-9 question 9 (eTable 1 in the Supplement ).

Participants self-reported if they had ever received GAHs, including estrogen or testosterone, or PBs (eg, gonadotropin-releasing hormone analogues) on each survey. We conducted a medical record review to capture prescription of androgen blockers (eg, spironolactone) and medications for menstrual suppression or contraception (ie, medroxyprogesterone acetate or levonorgestrel-releasing intrauterine device) during the study period.

We a priori considered potential confounders hypothesized to be associated with our exposures and outcomes of interest based on theory and prior research. Self-reported gender was ascertained on each survey using a 2-step question that asked participants about their current gender and their sex assigned at birth. If a participant’s self-reported gender changed across surveys, we used the gender reported most frequently by a participant (3 individuals identified as transmasculine at baseline and as nonbinary on all follow-up surveys). We collected data on self-reported race and ethnicity (available response options were Arab or Middle Eastern; Asian; Black or African American; Latinx; Native American, American Indian, or Alaskan Native or Native Hawaiian; Pacific Islander; and White), age, caregiver income, and insurance type. Race and ethnicity were assessed as potential covariates owing to known barriers to accessing gender-affirming care among transgender youth who are members of minority racial and ethnic groups. For descriptive statistics, Asian and Pacific Islander groups were combined owing to small population numbers. We included a baseline variable reflecting receipt of ongoing mental health therapy other than for the purpose of a mental health assessment to receive a gender dysphoria diagnosis. We included a self-report variable reflecting whether youths felt their gender identity or expression was a source of tension with their parents or guardians. Substance use included any alcohol, marijuana, or other drug use in the past year. Resilience was measured by the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC) 10-item score developed to measure change in an individual’s state resilience over time. 28 Resilience scores were dichotomized into high (ie, ≥median) and low (ie, <median). Prior studies of young adults in the US reported mean CD-RISC scores ranging from 27.2 to 30.1. 29 , 30

We used generalized estimating equations to assess change in outcomes from baseline at each follow-up point (eFigure 1 in the Supplement ). We used a logit link function to estimate adjusted odds ratio (aOR) for the association between variables and each mental health outcome. We initially estimated bivariate associations between potential confounders and mental health outcomes. Multivariable models included variables that were statistically significant in bivariate models. For all outcomes and models, statistical significance was defined as 95% CIs that did not contain 1.00. Reported P values are based on 2-sided Wald test statistics.

Model 1 examined temporal trends in mental health outcomes, with time (ie, baseline, 3, 6, and 12 months) modeled as a categorical variable. Model 2 estimated the association between receipt of PBs or GAHs and mental health outcomes adjusted for temporal trends and potential confounders. Receipt of PBs or GAHs was modeled as a composite binary time-varying exposure that compared mean outcomes between participants who had initiated PBs or GAHs and those who had not across all time points (eTable 2 in the Supplement ). All models used an independent working correlation structure and robust standard errors to account for the time-varying exposure variable.

We performed several sensitivity analyses. Because our data were from an observational cohort, we first considered the degree to which they were sensitive to unmeasured confounding. To do this, we calculated the E-value for the association between PBs or GAHs and mental health outcomes in model 2. The E-value is defined as the minimum strength of association that a confounder would need to have with both exposure and outcome to completely explain away their association (eTable 4 in the Supplement ). 31 Second, we performed sensitivity analyses on several subsets of youths. We separately examined the association of PBs and GAHs with outcomes of interest, although we a priori did not anticipate being powered to detect statistically significant outcomes owing to our small sample size and the relatively low proportion of youths who accessed PBs. We also conducted sensitivity analyses using the Patient Health Questionnaire 8-item scale (PHQ-8), in which the PHQ-9 question 9 regarding self-harm or suicidal thoughts was removed, given that we analyzed this item as a separate outcome. Lastly, we restricted our analysis to minor youths ages 13 to 17 years because they were subject to different laws and policies related to consent and prerequisite mental health assessments. We used R statistical software version 3.6.2 (R Project for Statistical Computing) to conduct all analyses. Data were analyzed from August 2020 through November 2021.

A total of 169 youths were screened for eligibility during the study period, among whom 161 eligible youths were approached. Nine youths or caregivers declined participation, and 39 youths did not complete consent or assent or did not complete the baseline survey, leaving a sample of 113 youths (70.2% of approached youths). We excluded 9 youths aged younger than 13 years from the analysis because they received different depression and anxiety screeners. Our final sample included 104 youths ages 13 to 20 years (mean [SD] age, 15.8 [1.6] years). Of these individuals, 84 youths (80.8%), 84 youths, and 65 youths (62.5%) completed surveys at 3, 6, and 12 months, respectively.

Our cohort included 63 transmasculine youths (60.6%), 27 transfeminine youths (26.0%), 10 nonbinary or gender fluid youths (9.6%), and 4 youths who responded “I don’t know” or did not respond to the gender identity question on all completed questionnaires (3.8%) ( Table 1 ). There were 4 Asian or Pacific Islander youths (3.8%), 3 Black or African American youths (2.9%); 9 Latinx youths (8.7%); 6 Native American, American Indian, or Alaskan Native or Native Hawaiian youths (5.8%); 67 White youths (64.4%); and 9 youths who reported more than 1 race or ethnicity (8.7%). Race and ethnicity data were missing for 6 youth (5.8%).

At baseline, 7 youths had ever received PBs or GAHs (including 1 youth who received PBs, 4 youths who received GAHs, and 2 youths who received both PBs and GAHs). By the end of the study, 69 youths (66.3%) had received PBs or GAHs (including 50 youths who received GAHs only [48.1%], 5 youths who received PBs only [4.8%], and 14 youths who received PBs and GAHs [13.5%]), while 35 youths had not received either PBs or GAHs (33.7%) (eTable 3 in the Supplement ). Among 33 participants assigned male sex at birth, 17 individuals (51.5%) had received androgen blockers, and among 71 participants assigned female sex at birth, 25 individuals (35.2%) had received menstrual suppression or contraceptives by the end of the study.

A large proportion of youths reported depressive and anxious symptoms at baseline. Specifically, 59 individuals (56.7%) had baseline PHQ-9 scores of 10 or more, suggesting moderate to severe depression; there were 22 participants (21.2%) scoring in the moderate range, 11 participants (10.6%) in the moderately severe range, and 26 participants (25.0%) in the severe range. Similarly, half of participants had a GAD-7 score suggestive of moderate to severe anxiety at baseline (52 individuals [50.0%]), including 20 participants (19.2%) scored in the moderate range, and 32 participants (30.8%) scored in the severe range. There were 45 youths (43.3%) who reported self-harm or suicidal thoughts in the prior 2 weeks. At baseline, 65 youths (62.5%) were receiving ongoing mental health therapy, 36 youths (34.6%) reported tension with their caregivers about their gender identity or expression, and 34 youths (32.7%) reported any substance use in the prior year. Lastly, we observed a wide range of resilience scores (median [range], 22.5 [1-38], with higher scores equaling more resiliency). There were no statistically significant differences in baseline characteristics by gender.

In bivariate models, substance use was associated with all mental health outcomes ( Table 2 ). Youths who reported any substance use were 4-fold as likely to have PHQ-9 scores of moderate to severe depression (aOR, 4.38; 95% CI, 2.10-9.16) and 2-fold as likely to have GAD-7 scores of moderate to severe anxiety (aOR, 2.07; 95% CI, 1.04-4.11) or report thoughts of self-harm or suicide in the prior 2 weeks (aOR, 2.06; 95% CI, 1.08-3.93). High resilience scores (ie, ≥median), compared with low resilience scores (ie, <median), were associated with lower odds of moderate or severe anxiety (aOR, 0.51; 95% CI, 0.26-0.999).

There were no statistically significant temporal trends in the bivariate model or model 1 ( Table 2 and Table 3 ). However, among all participants, odds of moderate to severe depression increased at 3 months of follow-up relative to baseline (aOR, 2.12; 95% CI, 0.98-4.60), which was not a significant increase, and returned to baseline levels at months 6 and 12 ( Figure ) prior to adjusting for receipt of PBs or GAHs.

We also examined the association between receipt of PBs or GAHs and mental health outcomes in bivariate and multivariable models (eFigure 2 in the Supplement ). After adjusting for temporal trends and potential confounders ( Table 4 ), we observed that youths who had initiated PBs or GAHs had 60% lower odds of moderate to severe depression (aOR, 0.40; 95% CI, 0.17-0.95) and 73% lower odds of self-harm or suicidal thoughts (aOR, 0.27; 95% CI, 0.11-0.65) compared with youths who had not yet initiated PBs or GAHs. There was no association between receipt of PBs or GAHs and moderate to severe anxiety (aOR, 1.01; 95% CI, 0.41-2.51). After adjusting for time-varying exposure of PBs or GAHs in model 2 ( Table 4 ), we observed statistically significant increases in moderate to severe depression among youths who had not received PBs or GAHs by 3 months of follow-up (aOR, 3.22; 95% CI, 1.37-7.56). A similar trend was observed for self-harm or suicidal thoughts among youths who had not received PBs or GAHs by 6 months of follow-up (aOR, 2.76; 95% CI, 1.22-6.26). Lastly, we estimated E-values of 2.56 and 3.25 for the association between receiving PGs or GAHs and moderate to severe depression and suicidality, respectively (eTable 4 in the Supplement ). Sensitivity analyses obtained comparable results and are presented in eTables 5 through 8 in the Supplement .

In this prospective clinical cohort study of TNB youths, we observed high rates of moderate to severe depression and anxiety, as well as suicidal thoughts. Receipt of gender-affirming interventions, specifically PBs or GAHs, was associated with 60% lower odds of moderate to severe depressive symptoms and 73% lower odds of self-harm or suicidal thoughts during the first year of multidisciplinary gender care. Among youths who did not initiate PBs or GAHs, we observed that depressive symptoms and suicidality were 2-fold to 3-fold higher than baseline levels at 3 and 6 months of follow-up, respectively. Our study results suggest that risks of depression and suicidality may be mitigated with receipt of gender-affirming medications in the context of a multidisciplinary care clinic over the relatively short time frame of 1 year.

Our findings are consistent with those of prior studies finding that TNB adolescents are at increased risk of depression, anxiety, and suicidality 1 , 11 , 32 and studies finding long-term and short-term improvements in mental health outcomes among TNB individuals who receive gender-affirming medical interventions. 14 , 21 - 24 , 33 , 34 Surprisingly, we observed no association with anxiety scores. A recent cohort study of TNB youths in Dallas, Texas, found that total anxiety symptoms improved over a longer follow-up of 11 to 18 months; however, similar to our study, the authors did not observe statistically significant improvements in generalized anxiety. 22 This suggests that anxiety symptoms may take longer to improve after the initiation of gender-affirming care. In addition, Olson et al 35 found that prepubertal TNB children who socially transitioned did not have increased rates of depression symptoms but did have increased rates of anxiety symptoms compared with children who were cisgender. Although social transition and access to gender-affirming medical care do not always go hand in hand, it is noteworthy that access to gender-affirming medical care and supported social transition appear to be associated with decreased depression and suicidality more than anxiety symptoms.

Time trends were not significant in our study; however, it is important to note that we observed a transient and nonsignificant worsening in mental health outcomes in the first several months of care among all participants and that these outcomes subsequently returned to baseline by 12 months. This is consistent with findings from a 2020 study 36 in an academic medical center in the northwestern US that observed no change in TNB adolescents’ GAD-7 or PHQ-9 scores from intake to first follow-up appointment, which occurred a mean of 4.7 months apart. Given that receipt of PBs or GAHs was associated with protection against depression and suicidality in our study, it could be that delays in receipt of medications is associated with initially exacerbated mental health symptoms that subsequently improve. It is also possible that mental health improvements associated with receiving these interventions may have a delayed onset, given the delay in physical changes after starting GAHs.

Few of our hypothesized confounders were associated with mental health outcomes in this sample, most notably receipt of ongoing mental health therapy and caregiver support; however, this is not surprising given that these variables were colinear with baseline mental health, which we adjusted for in all models. Substance use was the only variable associated with all mental health outcomes. In addition, youths with high baseline resilience scores were half as likely to experience moderate to severe anxiety as those with low scores. This finding suggests that substance use and resilience may be additional modifiable factors that could be addressed through multidisciplinary gender-affirming care. We recommend more granular assessment of substance use and resilience to better understand support needs (for substance use) and effective support strategies (for resilience) for TNB youths in future research.

This study has a number of strengths. This is one of the first studies to quantify a short-term transient increase in depressive symptoms experienced by TNB youths after initiating gender-affirming care, a phenomenon observed clinically by some of the authors and described in qualitative research. 37 Although we are unable to make causal statements owing to the observational design of the study, the strength of associations between gender-affirming medications and depression and suicidality, with large aOR values, and sensitivity analyses that suggest that these findings are robust to moderate levels of unmeasured confounding. Specifically, E-values calculated for this study suggest that the observed associations could be explained away only by an unmeasured confounder that was associated with both PBs and GAHs and the outcomes of interest by a risk ratio of 2-fold to 3-fold each, above and beyond the measured confounders, but that weaker confounding could not do so. 31

Our findings should be interpreted in light of the following limitations. This was a clinical sample of TNB youths, and there was likely selection bias toward youths with supportive caregivers who had resources to access a gender-affirming care clinic. Family support and access to care are associated with protection against poor mental health outcomes, and thus actual rates of depression, anxiety, and suicidality in nonclinical samples of TNB youths may differ. Youths who are unable to access gender-affirming care owing to a lack of family support or resources require particular emphasis in future research and advocacy. Our sample also primarily included White and transmasculine youths, limiting the generalizability of our findings. In addition, the need to reapproach participants for consent and assent for the 12-month survey likely contributed to attrition at this time point. There may also be residual confounding because we were unable to include a variable reflecting receipt of psychotropic medications that could be associated with depression, anxiety, and self-harm and suicidal thought outcomes. Additionally, we used symptom-based measures of depression, anxiety, and suicidality; further studies should include diagnostic evaluations by mental health practitioners to track depression, anxiety, gender dysphoria, suicidal ideation, and suicide attempts during gender care. 2

Our study provides quantitative evidence that access to PBs or GAHs in a multidisciplinary gender-affirming setting was associated with mental health improvements among TNB youths over a relatively short time frame of 1 year. The associations with the highest aORs were with decreased suicidality, which is important given the mental health disparities experienced by this population, particularly the high levels of self-harm and suicide. Our findings have important policy implications, suggesting that the recent wave of legislation restricting access to gender-affirming care 19 may have significant negative outcomes in the well-being of TNB youths. 20 Beyond the need to address antitransgender legislation, there is an additional need for medical systems and insurance providers to decrease barriers and expand access to gender-affirming care.

Accepted for Publication: January 10, 2022.

Published: February 25, 2022. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2022.0978

Correction: This article was corrected on July 26, 2022, to fix minor errors in the numbers of patients in eTables 2 and 3 in the Supplement.

Corresponding Author: Diana M. Tordoff, MPH, Department of Epidemiology, University of Washington, UW Box 351619, Seattle, WA 98195 ( [email protected] ).

Author Contributions : Diana Tordoff had full access to all of the data in the study and takes responsibility for the integrity of the data and the accuracy of the data analysis. Diana Tordoff and Dr Wanta are joint first authors. Drs Inwards-Breland and Ahrens are joint senior authors.

Concept and design: Collin, Stepney, Inwards-Breland, Ahrens.

Acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data: All authors.

Drafting of the manuscript: Tordoff, Wanta, Collin, Stepney, Inwards-Breland.

Critical revision of the manuscript for important intellectual content: Wanta, Collin, Stepney, Inwards-Breland, Ahrens.

Statistical analysis: Tordoff.

Obtained funding: Inwards-Breland, Ahrens.

Administrative, technical, or material support: Ahrens.

Supervision: Wanta, Inwards-Breland, Ahrens.

Conflict of Interest Disclosures: Diana Tordoff reported receiving grants from the National Institutes of Health National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases unrelated to the present work and outside the submitted work. No other disclosures were reported.

Funding/Support: This study was supported Seattle Children’s Center for Diversity and Health Equity and the Pacific Hospital Preservation Development Authority.

Role of the Funder/Sponsor: The funders had no role in the design and conduct of the study; collection, management, analysis, and interpretation of the data; preparation, review, or approval of the manuscript; and decision to submit the manuscript for publication.

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How Biology and Culture Shape Gender Identity

When ideology leads to polarizing positions, everyone loses..

Updated July 21, 2024 | Reviewed by Lybi Ma

Both biology and culture are instrumental in shaping gender identity.
There is considerable cultural divergence as to whether gender identity must align with biological sex.
Tolerance of opposing viewpoints is essential, without resorting to perceived transphobic tropes.

One of the most problematic myths in Western culture (Europe and the Americas), arguably, is the origin story of man and woman: Adam and Eve. Whether or not one subscribes to a Christian denomination, our Western culture is thoroughly steeped in it. Man was created first (dominant), and woman came second, created from his spare rib (subservient).

In some ways, this myth arguably has a basis in biological reality. We know from research in cognitive archeology and paleoanthropology that ancestral humans, going back around two million years to Homo erectus , were primarily hetero-monogamous, based in part on the necessity to ensure breeding certainty, a consequence of bipedalism, tool manufacture, and hunter-gathering arrangements, and that women were the ones who bore children. Early forms of marriage rituals provided a guarantee of breeding certainty, ensuring cooperative behavior between males who needed to be away to procure a supply of food, allowing certainty that their offspring were indeed theirs (see, for instance, Steven Mithen’s book The Prehistory of the Mind ).

But what of culture?

Marriage is itself a cultural artifact, confected by human minds to solve a particular biological imperative (see above). But with the advent of an advanced symbolic cognitive capability (of which language is the paradigm example), culture itself has influenced and shaped our very relationship with our lived biological experience.

In terms of culture, we use material artifacts to represent culturally incubated ideas. We then come to believe, through the use of these material anchors, that the abstract notion is objectively “real.” Take money as a case in point. You might think that money is objectively real. But the coins, notes, bills, or plastic we carry around with us do not have intrinsic value. They only betoken monetary value because we collectively agree and behave such they do.

This was also the case when money was measured in different ways at earlier points in history, such as silver or gold, for instance. The weight of the coins only betokened “value” because of the cultural compact that afforded these particular naturally occurring metals an agreed-upon value (see for instance Peter Harder’s book Meaning in Mind and Society ).

The point here is that gender, like any other cultural construct, is made real by virtue of dress and physiology.

The feminist movement

One of the great achievements of the Western feminist movement during the counterculture of the 1960s and onwards was to challenge the prescriptivism that equated biological divergence with a particular (cultural) role in society (for instance, that men are the breadwinners, while women stay at home and raise the children), with the asymmetric power-dynamic that arose from that biological-cultural prescriptivism. This rejection by the feminist movement of societal roles based on biology was reframed by a new narrative: The patriarch is the oppressor, and the matriarch is the suppressed. From this re-framing, it followed that women should “fight” for equality and “take back” from the oppressor what was being withheld. While there have been many successes, there have also been some reverses (the repeal of Roe vs. Wade in the United States, for instance), and the gender pay gap across the Western world persists.

From feminism to TERFism to gender-critical feminism

More recently, the advent of so-called trans-exclusionary radical feminism (TERF) came to be a significant feminist ideology. In recent years, TERF has been “rebranded” as gender critical (GC) feminism, a “linguistic pivot from ‘anti-trans’ to ‘pro-woman’ … an attempted claim to legitimacy with an aim of accruing mainstream support,” according to a peer-reviewed research article by Claire Thurlow. Thurlow argues that despite the rebranding, GC feminism continues to deploy anti-trans tropes and alarmist rhetoric aimed at inciting moral panic . According to another commentator, Katelyn Burns (writing in Vox ), GC feminism is now the de facto dominant ideology in the UK and a significant force in the United States, where, ironically, GC feminists ally with (male) “family-values” conservatives whose goals are often antithetical to those of GC feminism.

The GC ideology can be viewed as a reversal of the original move upon which the feminist movement was predicated. Rather than disavowing biology in service of (re)claiming cultural equivalence, it seeks to reclaim biological divergence as the decisive factor in the face of a new perceived threat: the transgender .

One reason that GC feminism unequivocally rejects the possibility of a transgendered individual is, according to Katelyn Burns, that it allows the possibility that a member of the oppressors (a man) can seek to masquerade as a woman. To reject the possibility of a man transitioning to a woman (and vice versa), GC ideology invokes biological essentialism: the idea that sex is binary and immutable, determined at the level of chromosomes. Thus, one’s gender must inevitably align with biological sex as assigned at birth.

This essentialist view of biological sex is, for many, just common sense (including statements on this made by former UK PM Rishi Sunak). The view has been given credence by expert commentators. For instance, Richard Dawkins in an article in The New Statesman claimed that biological sex is indeed immutable and binary, using what might be perceived as disparaging rhetoric towards those that might think and or behave otherwise.

However, as I have argued in a previous Psychology Today post , this is not entirely the consensus among medical professionals and researchers. Some view biological sex as better thought of as a spectrum condition.

Whatever one’s views on the immutability or otherwise of biological sex, gender is itself a sociolinguistic construct. While it certainly has a basis in biology, it is confected in a cultural context. And non-Western cultures take different views as to whether gender identity must align with biological sex as assigned at birth (see my previous post ). The takeaway from this is that while freedom of speech is important, so is tolerance of opposing views, without resorting to perceived transphobic tropes.

Burns, Katelyn. The rise of anti-trans “radical” feminists, explained. Vox. Sep 5, 2019.

Dawkins, Richard. Why biological sex matters. The New Statesman. July 26, 2023.

Evans, Vyvyan. Why Biological Sex Is Not the Same as Gender. Psychology Today. August 3, 2023.

Harder, Peter. Meaning in Mind and Society: A Functional Contribution to the Social Turn in Cognitive Linguistics. Mouton de Gruyter. 2010.

Mithen, Steven. The Prehistory of the Mind. Thames & Hudson. 1999.

Thurlow, Claire. From TERF to gender critical: A telling genealogy? Sexualities, 2024, 27(4), 962-978.

Vyvyan Evans, Ph.D. , is a language and communication consultant. He received his Ph.D. from Georgetown University.

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Comprehensive study of residential environment preferences and characteristics among older adults: empirical evidence from china.

1. Introduction

2. factors related to the residential environment of elderly, 2.1. community environment, 2.2. building features, 2.3. indoor environment, 2.4. caps in the literature, 3. materials and methods, 3.1. questionnaire design, 3.2. methods of analysis, 4.1. residential preferences of older people, 4.2. aging in place and preferences, 4.3. residential environment preferences, 4.4. differences in residential environment preferences, 4.4.1. associations between residential environment preferences, 4.4.2. factor analysis results, 4.4.3. effect of age, 4.4.4. effect of health status, 4.4.5. effect of gender, 5. discussion, 5.1. overview of residential environment preferences, 5.2. demographic characteristics of reps, 5.3. limitations, 6. conclusions, author contributions, data availability statement, acknowledgments, conflicts of interest.

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Community Environment	Literature Source	Linked Impact
Q1. Community safety (e.g., fire safety, traffic safety, adequate street lighting)	[ , , , ]	Physical health; mental health
Q2. Accessibility to public transportation around the community	[ , , , ]	Physical health; mental health
Q3. Accessibility of healthcare facilities in the vicinity of the community	[ , , , ]	Physical health; mental health
Q4. Community and surrounding social infrastructure (e.g., accessible sidewalks, accessible bike paths)	[ , , , ]	Physical health; mental health
Q5. Amenities around the community (e.g., drugstores, retail stores, supermarkets, post offices, cash machines)	[ , , ]	Physical health; mental health
Q6. Accessibility to parks, green space, recreational facilities	[ , , , ]	Physical health; mental health
Q7. Cleanliness and aesthetics of the community and surrounding areas	[ , , ]	Physical health; mental health
Q8. Environmental quality of the community and its surroundings	[ , ]	Physical health; mental health
Q9. Provision of public toilets and rest areas in the community	[ , , , ]	Physical health
Q10. Social interaction and participation in social venues in the community	[ , , , ]	Mental health
Q11. Indoor recreation areas around the community (e.g., recreation centers, gym)	[ , ]	Physical health; Mental health
Q12. Communities are close to familiar social networks such as family and friends	[ , , , ]	Mental health

Building Features	Literature Source	Linked Impact
Q13. Reasonable housing density and spatial layout (e.g., appropriate building density; mix of residential, commercial, recreational)	[ , ]	Physical health; mental health
Q14. Energy efficiency of housing (e.g., housing is well insulated and warm)	[ , , , ]	Physical health
Q15. Quality condition of the house (no structural defects, no danger)	[ , , ]	Physical health; mental health
Q16. Accessible adaptive design of buildings (e.g., wider corridors, doors, elevators for wheelchair access)	[ , , ]	Physical fitness
Q17. House alarm and security systems (intercoms, peepholes, intrusion alarms)	[ , , ]	Physical health
Q18. Private parking space	[ , , ]	Physical health; mental health
Q19. The house has a balcony	[ , , ]	Physical health; mental health
Q20. Have a private courtyard	[ , , ]	Physical health; mental health

Indoor Environment	Literature Source	Linked Impact
Q21. Temperature and thermal comfort of the house	[ , , , ]	Physical health; mental health
Q22. Natural ventilation and air quality of the house	[ , , ]	Physical health
Q23. Soundproofing of the house	[ , , ]	Physical health; mental health
Q24. Light quality of the house (including the intensity of natural and artificial lighting)	[ , , , ]	Physical health; mental health
Q25. Aging of houses (retrofitting of non-slip flooring, bathroom handrails, aging mattresses, kitchen worktops)	[ , , ]	Physical health
Q26. Home health assistive technology (e.g., remote health testing)	[ , , , ]	Physical health mental health
Q27. Privacy of personal space	[ , , , ]	mental health
Q28. Natural landscape outside the window	[ , ]	mental health
Q29. Configuration of indoor greenery	[ , , , ]	Physical health; mental health
Q30. Interior visual comfort (e.g., decorative style, cleanliness, warmth and interesting furniture and furnishings)	[ , , , ]	mental health
Q31. Intelligent home control system (voice control system for temperature, lighting, ventilation)	[ , , ]	Physical health; mental health
Q32. Emergency response systems (e.g., emergency call buttons or distress alarms)	[ , , ]	Physical health
Q33. The color and contrast of the walls, floors, and doors of the indoor	[ , , ]	Physical health; mental health

Categories	Question	Proportion
Gender	male	48.5%
Gender	female	51.5%
Age	60–65	64.2%
	66–70	15.5%
	71–75	8.1%
	76–80	7.9%
	Above 80	4.3%
Education	junior high school and below	83.8%
	high school	6.0%
	college	3.5%
	undergraduate	4.4%
	postgraduate	2.3%
Residential status	cohabitation with a partner	36.3%
	living with children	21.5%
	living with grandchildren	21.9%
	living alone	20.3%
Occupation before retirement	enterprises and institutions	37.0%
	freelancers	49.0%
	farmers	14.0%
Income status	below 1000 CNY	38.3%
	1000–4000 CNY	47.1%
	4000–7000 CNY	10.2%
	above 7000 CNY	4.4%
Health status	excellent	22.9%
	good	42.2%
	average	23.8%
	bad	9.0%
	very bad	2.1%
Region of CHINA	Northeast China	10.6%
	North China	22.4%
	Southwestern China	12.0%
	East China	33.1%
	Northwestern China	8.5%
	South China	5.8%
	Central China	7.6%

Characteristic	Category	Mean Rating	Rank Order
Community safety (e.g., fire safety, traffic safety, adequate street lighting)	community	5.77	1
Accessible adaptive design of buildings (e.g., wider corridors, doors, elevators for wheelchair access)	building	4.91	2
Provision of public toilets and rest areas in the community	community	4.58	3
Cleanliness and aesthetics of the community and surrounding areas	community	4.51	4
Emergency response systems (e.g., emergency call buttons or distress alarms)	indoor	4.49	5
Amenities around the community (e.g., drugstores, retail stores, supermarkets, post offices, cash machines)	community	4.47	6
Temperature and thermal comfort of the indoor	indoor	4.45	7
Social interaction and participation in social venues in the community (e.g., community plazas, community centers, volunteer centers)	community	4.44	8
Environmental quality of the community and its surroundings (e.g., community air quality, traffic congestion, street noise conditions)	community	4.43	9
Configuration of indoor greenery	indoor	4.41	10
Light quality of the house (including the intensity of natural and artificial lighting)	indoor	4.40	11
Color and contrast of the walls, floors, and doors of the indoor	indoor	4.40	12
Accessibility to parks, green space, recreational facilities	community	4.39	13
Private parking space	building	4.39	14
Elderly-oriented houses (retrofitting of non-slip flooring, bathroom handrails, aging mattresses, kitchen worktops)	indoor	4.39	15
Accessibility to public transportation around the community (e.g., walking distance to bus, subway)	community	4.38	16
Indoor recreation areas around the community (e.g., gym, recreation centers, cultural centers, art museums)	community	4.38	17
Privacy of personal space	indoor	4.37	18
Community and surrounding social infrastructure (e.g., accessible sidewalks, accessible bike paths)	community	4.36	19
Private courtyard	building	4.35	20
Intelligent home control system (voice control system for temperature, lighting, ventilation, etc.)	indoor	4.33	21
Natural ventilation and air quality of the house	indoor	4.32	22
Interior visual comfort (e.g., decorative style, cleanliness, warmth and interesting furniture and furnishings)	indoor	4.28	23
Quality condition of the building (no structural defects and no danger)	building	4.27	24
Home health assistive technology (e.g., remote health testing)	indoor	4.25	25
Accessibility of health care facilities near the community (e.g., the community is close to clinics, hospitals, nursing facilities)	community	4.23	26
Communities are close to familiar social networks such as family and friends	community	4.22	27
Soundproofing of the house	indoor	4.21	28
Reasonable housing density and spatial layout (e.g., appropriate building density; mix of residential, commercial, recreational)	building	4.20	29
Energy efficiency of housing (e.g., housing is well insulated and warm)	building	4.16	30
The house has a balcony	building	4.15	31
House alarm and security systems (intercoms, peepholes and intrusion alarms)	building	4.13	32
The natural landscape outside the window	indoor	4.03	33

Component	Initial Eigenvalues	Extraction Sums of Squared Loadings (%)	Rotation Sums of Squared Loadings (%)
1	9.371	28.396	28.396
2	6.485	19.651	48.048
3	4.447	13.475	61.523
4	1.011	3.065	64.588

Component	Description	High Load Item	Loading Factor
Component 1	Indoor characteristics	Q21, Q22, Q23, Q24, Q25, Q26, Q27, Q28, Q29, Q30, Q31, Q32, Q33	0.655, 0.683, 0.654, 0.707, 0.663, 0.677, 0.665, 0.685, 0.640, 0.647, 0.651, 0.636, 0.466
Component 2	Building characteristics1	Q13, Q14, Q15, Q16, Q17, Q18, Q19, Q20	0.428, 0.496, 0.331, 0.152, 0.356, 0.453, 0.439, 0.453
Component 3	Building characteristics2	Q13, Q14, Q15, Q17, Q18, Q19, Q20	0.658, 0.590, 0.712, 0.687, 0.637, 0.667, 0.660
Component 4	Community characteristics	Q1, Q2, Q3, Q5, Q6, Q9, Q11, Q12	0.764, 0.062, 0.067, −0.012, −0.155, 0.095, −0.131, −0.043

Analysis Term	Mean	Standard Deviation	Shapiro– Wilk Test	Statistical Volume	p	Cohen’s f-Values
Q22	4.312	2.033	0.904 (0.000 ***)	22.689	0.000 ***	0.045
Q24	4.404	1.923	0.919 (0.000 ***)	15.92	0.003 ***	0.033
Q25	4.372	1.963	0.914 (0.000 ***)	22.578	0.000 ***	0.037
Q26	4.386	1.985	0.911 (0.000 ***)	27.476	0.000 ***	0.044
Q27	4.226	2.075	0.902 (0.000 ***)	14.586	0.006 ***	0.031
Q28	4.397	1.858	0.925 (0.000 ***)	25.546	0.000 ***	0.043
Q30	4.279	2.045	0.904 (0.000 ***)	26.035	0.000 ***	0.037
Q31	4.404	1.984	0.91 (0.000 ***)	17.466	0.002 ***	0.028
Q32	4.314	1.905	0.923 (0.000 ***)	21.649	0.000 ***	0.04
Q33	4.492	1.842	0.918 (0.000 ***)	15.892	0.003 ***	0.029
Q2	4.383	1.8	0.932 (0.000 ***)	19.358	0.001 ***	0.04
Q3	4.212	1.804	0.932 (0.000 ***)	14.384	0.006 ***	0.029
Q4	4.363	1.932	0.917 (0.000 ***)	30.172	0.000 ***	0.056

Analysis Term	Mean	Standard Deviation	Shapiro–Wilk Test	Statistical Volume	p	Cohen’s f-Values
Q2	4.383	1.8	0.932 (0.000 ***)	19.016	0.001 ***	0.027
Q3	4.212	1.804	0.932 (0.000 ***)	25.605	0.000 ***	0.035
Q5	4.469	1.817	0.923 (0.000 ***)	13.96	0.007 ***	0.022
Q7	4.51	1.887	0.917 (0.000 ***)	31.966	0.000 ***	0.036
Q8	4.432	1.876	0.917 (0.000 ***)	19.622	0.001 ***	0.027
Q10	4.436	2.037	0.897 (0.000 ***)	30.085	0.000 ***	0.034
Q11	4.376	1.98	0.909 (0.000 ***)	28.122	0.000 ***	0.043
Q12	4.21	1.911	0.926 (0.000 ***)	14.805	0.005 ***	0.019
Q13	4.203	2.008	0.915 (0.000 ***)	24.484	0.000 ***	0.025
Q14	4.164	1.918	0.921 (0.000 ***)	15.04	0.005 ***	0.033
Q15	4.256	1.988	0.916 (0.000 ***)	25.041	0.000 ***	0.023
Q17	4.134	2.092	0.903 (0.000 ***)	36.261	0.000 ***	0.035
Q18	4.321	1.85	0.928 (0.000 ***)	21.203	0.000 ***	0.043
Q19	4.388	2.023	0.904 (0.000 ***)	20.024	0.000 ***	0.029
Q20	4.15	2.002	0.916 (0.000 ***)	27.874	0.000 ***	0.035
Q25	4.372	1.963	0.914 (0.000 ***)	22.395	0.000 ***	0.043
Q28	4.397	1.858	0.925 (0.000 ***)	13.616	0.009 ***	0.027
Q30	4.279	2.045	0.904 (0.000 ***)	21.578	0.000 ***	0.037
Q32	4.314	1.905	0.923 (0.000 ***)	22.376	0.000 ***	0.033

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Xu, S.; Zhang, T.; Fukuda, H.; He, J.; Bao, X. Comprehensive Study of Residential Environment Preferences and Characteristics among Older Adults: Empirical Evidence from China. Buildings 2024 , 14 , 2175. https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings14072175

Xu S, Zhang T, Fukuda H, He J, Bao X. Comprehensive Study of Residential Environment Preferences and Characteristics among Older Adults: Empirical Evidence from China. Buildings . 2024; 14(7):2175. https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings14072175

Xu, Shipeng, Tao Zhang, Hiroatsu Fukuda, Jiahao He, and Xin Bao. 2024. "Comprehensive Study of Residential Environment Preferences and Characteristics among Older Adults: Empirical Evidence from China" Buildings 14, no. 7: 2175. https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings14072175

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100 Best Gender Research Topics
100 Gender Research Topics For Academic Papers. Gender research topics are very popular across the world. Students in different academic disciplines are often asked to write papers and essays about these topics. Some of the disciplines that require learners to write about gender topics include: Sociology. Psychology.
40 Women Issues and Gender Research Paper Topics & Questions
The MeeToo movement is the prominent proof of the fact that women finally decided not to endure the gender discrimination. We collected a few tips to help you write a great research paper about women and gender. The first and, possibly important one is the usage of the checked facts. The gender topic is now widely speculated and sometimes ...
138 Research Questions about Gender Roles
Gender roles were a vital tenet, more so in the conformity era of the 1950s. For men, their roles as breadwinners dictated their responsibility. This essay aims to analyze "The Importance of Being Earnest," "Blood Relations," and "Essay" to argue for the absurdity of predetermined gender roles in society.
Gender Survey Questions For Questionnaires
Asking gender questions enables you to ensure that your sample is representative or to study the gender effects on your research. Thus, using the age-old methods of asking gender questions of two options, if not altered, will keep giving you statistical data, which is not accurate, skipping important variations of responses based on gender and ...
How to Ask Gender Questions in Online Surveys (With Examples)
Example #4: Non-Inclusive Gender Question. ... Use Cases: Gender Questions in Research. In the world of healthcare, Stanford University's Gendered-Related Variables in Health Research states that medical evidence has shown that both sex and gender interact to influence health and disease. Analyzing the influence of gender on health requires ...
The Gender Analysis Tool With Topical Questions
The first table in each section contains general topical questions that pertain to that level of the health system, and the second table contains topical questions pertinent to a specific area of health (e.g., HIV, FP). The topical questions are both illustrative and descriptive and offer a set of key questions for a range of Jhpiego health areas.
Top 10 Gender Research Topics & Writing Ideas
Issues modern feminism faces. Sexual orientation and gender identity. Benefits of investing in girls' education. Patriarchal attitudes and stereotypes in family relationships. Toys and games of girls and boys. Roles of men and women in politics. Compare career opportunities for both sexes in the military.
Formulating Research Questions and Envisioning Design
1. delimit questions asked—and, by implication, questions not asked (see, for example, Case Study: Genetics of Sex Determination). 2. frame the research design and choice of methods. As with other stages of the research and development processes, the choice of a research question is often underpinned by assumptions—both implicit and ...
Understanding gender roles in the workplace: a qualitative research study
Research questions explored what gender norms exist, how they show up behaviorally in the workplace, and how gender norms, implicit bias and microaggressions impact women. 12 women participated in the study and were asked 12 interview questions. Participants' answers to these questions were coded to highlight themes. Themes were
Develop a Research Question
Start to turn that topic into a series of questions that you will attempt to answer the course of your research. Keep in mind that you will probably end up changing and adjusting the question (s) you have as you gather more information and synthesize it in your writing. However, having a clear line of inquiry can help you maintain a sense of ...
113 Gender Roles Essay Topics & Examples
Gender roles essay topics and titles may include: The history of gender roles and their shifts throughout the time. Male and female roles in society. Gender roles in literature and media. How a man and a woman is perceived in current society. The causes and outcomes of gender discrimination.
How to write gender questions in your surveys: Tips & examples
In research and data collection, gender identification has grown in importance. Many survey writers still have difficulty properly writing questions on gender, though. Also, understanding distinct groups' needs, actions, and opinions largely depends on surveys. ... 5 Question examples about gender.
569 Gender Essay Topics & Research Topics on Gender
In this awesome list, you will find here plenty of research questions about gender, essay topics, discussion ideas, and more. Check it out! Table of Contents. 🏆 Best Essay Topics on Gender. ⭐ Catchy Gender Essay Topics. ... 👍 Good Gender Research Topics & Essay Examples. On-time delivery! Get your 100% customized paper done in as little ...
LibGuides: Gender Studies: Research Topics and Phrases
The ideas below will help get you started. If you need further help with keywords, talk to your professor or set up a research appointment with a librarian. Note: Terminology in Gender Studies evolves much faster than terminology in databases. You will likely come across outdated and possibly offensive subject descriptions.
How to Write Gender Questions for a Survey
Androgynous - Partly male and female. Not one specific sex. 13. Bi-gender - Those who experience two gender identities, either at the same time or swapping between the two. These can be male and female or other identities. 14. Non-binary - A blanket term to describe those who do not feel exclusively male or female.
Past Thesis Topics
2013. Inside the Master's House: Gender, Sexuality, and the 'Impossible' History of Slavery in Jamaica, 1753-1786. 2013. Illuminating the Darkness Beneath the Lamp: Im Yong-sin's Disappearance from History and Rewriting the History of Women in Korea's Colonial Period (1910-1945) East Asian Languages and Civilizations.
25 Ways to Write Gender Survey Questions
Open-Ended Questions. An open-ended question is a type of question that does not limit respondents to a range of predetermined answers. This type of question allows respondents to fully express themselves and provide thoughtful, deliberate, and sometimes, lengthy answers to gender survey questions. The responses provided to open-ended questions ...
Start Your Research
The following are examples of encyclopedias, handbooks, and annotated bibliographies that provide background information on your topic which you can use to focus your research question. These resources will also cite books and articles that can jump start your search for more specific research literature. Reference EBook Collections
More Inclusive Gender Questions Added to the General Social Survey
The General Social Survey, or GSS, is one of the most important data sources for researchers studying American society. For the first time ever in its nearly 50-year history, the survey's 2018 data release includes information on respondents' self-identified sex and gender. The new data will allow researchers to measure the size of the transgender and gender non-binary populations and ...
10 Research Question Examples to Guide your Research Project
The first question asks for a ready-made solution, and is not focused or researchable. The second question is a clearer comparative question, but note that it may not be practically feasible. For a smaller research project or thesis, it could be narrowed down further to focus on the effectiveness of drunk driving laws in just one or two countries.
Gender Stereotypes: Research Question
Gender Stereotypes: Research Question. Gender stereotypes are common for any country even if it is an egalitarian society where women are seen as equals to men. Females are still seen as passive and submissive. It is believed that women should focus on domestic issues being 'good' mothers and wives. More and more females try to play active ...
Mental Health Outcomes in Transgender and Nonbinary Youths Receiving
Self-reported gender was ascertained on each survey using a 2-step question that asked participants about their current gender and their sex assigned at birth. If a participant's self-reported gender changed across surveys, we used the gender reported most frequently by a participant (3 individuals identified as transmasculine at baseline and ...
How Biology and Culture Shape Gender Identity
We know from research in cognitive archeology and paleoanthropology that ancestral humans, going back around two million years to Homo erectus, were primarily hetero-monogamous, based in part on ...
School indoctrination? When he turned liberal, it divided his
After a conservative mother sent her son to a new school, he brought home liberal views that caused tension. Questions arose over whether he was indoctrinated at home or at school, and how their ...
Comprehensive Study of Residential Environment Preferences and ...
Aging in a suitable residential environment is essential for the health and well-being of older adults. This study aims to analyze the residential environment preferences (REPs) of older people in China to create a residential environment suitable for their physical and mental health, enhancing their life satisfaction. This study used a sample questionnaire to identify relevant characteristics ...

100 Gender Research Topics For Academic Papers

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Adapted from: George Mason University Writing Center. (2018). How to write a research question. Retrieved from https://writingcenter.gmu.edu/writing-resources/research-based-writing/how-to-write-a-research-question

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