Menu
Psyche
DonateNewsletter
SIGN IN

Gender

Stories and literature

idea

Forget ‘Little Women’. How did girls learn to be grown women?

How might 19th-century novels for adolescent girls help us find healthier models of what it means to grow up female today?

by Julie Pfeiffer

Theatre and performance

idea

Why did Ibsen put ‘philosophers in skirts’ up on the stage?

When Henrik Ibsen put ‘philosophers in skirts’ into his plays, he demonstrated a different way of thinking about the world

by Kristin Gjesdal

Laughter and comedy

idea

Just when in history did men decide that women are not funny?

Women have been witty and bawdy throughout history. It’s only recently that men haven’t been able to see their funny side

by Joy Wiltenburg

Gender

idea

What sex-difference science misses about the messy reality of sex

Men aren’t from Mars, women aren’t from Venus, and other persistent myths derived from debunked sex-difference science

by Jeffrey W Lockhart

Sex and sexuality

idea

Does porn harm or help? Gender could matter in a surprising way

Whether porn use benefits or harms young adults’ sex lives is a contentious question. Data suggest some (nuanced) answers

by Nicolas Sommet & Jacques Berent

Gender

idea

The reality of prostitution is not complex. It is simple

Prostitution is not sex and it’s not work. Its reality is far from complex – in fact, it’s simple. Trust me, I’ve done it

by Rachel Moran

Identity

idea

Affirming transgender people’s identities is more than politeness

Trans people bear a heavy burden of stigma. Affirming their chosen identity helps to build their psychological resilience

by David Matthew Doyle

Sports and games

idea

Why do hardcore football fans behave like rutting stags?

Sport spectators can let off steam by chanting and group bonding, but why do hardcore football fans turn to real violence?

by Martha Newson