Menu
Psyche
DonateNewsletter
SIGN IN

Gender

A young woman in a red bikini and an older man in black trunks cool off at an outdoor shower, with a sunny beach background.

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

Group of boys looking up, with one in focus and several others blurred in the background. The scene is outdoors.

Gender

idea

Talk of toxic masculinity puts the blame in all the wrong places

Toxic masculinity discourse harms vulnerable boys and men and distracts society from the true sources of gender inequity

by Heidi Matthews

Close-up of a person wearing round glasses, with a blurred background showing indistinct colours and shapes.

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

A blurred person walks past a large poster of a woman with long blonde hair and glossy lips.

Change and self-development

idea

The cult of being confident and why it doesn’t help women

By making women solely responsible for their own empowerment, the culture of confidence masks the true causes of inequality

by Rosalind Gill & Shani Orgad

A pensive-looking woman is listening to headphones on a bus on a rainy evening

Communication and language

idea

Listening in on horror: why many women love true crime podcasts

True crime podcasts turn violence against women into a form of entertainment. Why do so many female listeners enjoy them?

by Amelia Anthony

A portrait of a woman with powdered hair wearing a silk dress, lace collar, black choker, and a pink ribbon, seated against a dark background.

The body and physical health

idea

Menopause was a French invention at a time of revolution

French doctors of the 1800s had a vested interest in pathologising women’s ageing, as do many commercial entities today

by Alison M Downham Moore

A vintage photo showing people dressed in old-fashioned clothing, carrying baskets and bags, walking through a busy outdoor market area.

Thinkers and theories

idea

How the feminist philosopher Helene Stöcker canonised Nietzsche

Despite Nietzsche’s reputation for misogyny, his work inspired a leading women’s rights activist of the early 20th century

by Lydia Moland

Marble statue of Hermaphroditus, depicting a naked human figure with male and female features, leaning forward slightly and holding a draped cloth in one hand, set against a plain background. The statue lacks a head.

Gender

idea

There is nothing new about gender fluidity and nonconformity

From Mesopotamia and ancient Greece to precolonial India and medieval London, gender has always been more than a binary

by Chris Wheatley