Gender

Photo of a neon-lit window display with mannequins, featuring “Willkommen im Love Story” and “Caffe” signs in German.

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

Stone statue of a Moai head with a prominent brow and nose against a black background, photo.

GENDER

How to be a man

Old ideas of manliness make us miserable. Being labelled ‘toxic’ doesn’t help. A reimagined masculinity is the way forward

by Andrew Reiner

Three women chatting and laughing on stone steps at night with people relaxing in the background.

GENDER

Is being single a happier experience for women or men?

More people than ever are going solo. We identified a gender difference that hints at the ingredients needed to enjoy it

by Elaine Hoan & Geoff MacDonald

Painting of a person in a hat smoking a cigarette, with a confident expression and a slightly tilted head.

STORIES AND LITERATURE

Selfish, grumpy and unkind? That’s my kind of woman

Misanthropic female novelists and their characters make me hopeful for a future in which we shrug off feminine perfection

by Ellena Savage

LOVE

The problem with love is deciding who’s doing the dishes

The modern rhetoric of love is all about caring and sharing, and very little about equality and justice. Can philosophy help?

by Patricia Marino

A woman in period dress smiles while holding a small object depicting a nude seated figure.

LAUGHTER AND COMEDY

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

Photo of a group of people outdoors looking upwards, focused expressions, blurred background of buildings and trees.

GENDER

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

A blue sports car and a grey luxury car parked on a city street with people and a Christian Dior shop in the background.

GENDER

The ‘masculinity crisis’ is actually a crisis of self-esteem

There’s a modern belief that talent or effort can carry anyone to the top. It’s a myth that’s especially harmful to men

by Leo Rogers

Photo of two people on a beach cooling off under a shower, with tall buildings and umbrellas in the background.

GENDER

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

Photo of a woman with headphones on a rainy bus, looking thoughtful. Blurred city lights visible outside the window.

COMMUNICATION AND LANGUAGE

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

Photo of four men embracing on a beach at night with colourful lights blurred in the background.

GENDER

Too many men lack close friendships. What’s holding them back?

Some masculine norms are a straightjacket, depriving men of the connections they need. It takes bravery to leave them behind

by Angelica Puzio Ferrara

Photo of a person wearing glasses viewing a blurred screen focus on glasses frame.

SEX AND SEXUALITY

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 man observing a large, lifelike sculpture of an elderly man with a braid on a white gallery wall.

PSYCHOANALYSIS AND THE UNCONSCIOUS

Men’s anxiety about hair loss can have a deeper meaning

As a psychoanalyst, I’ve seen how reflecting on the emotional symbolism of hair loss can be therapeutic for many men

by Tom Wooldridge

A painting of a woman in 18th-century attire with a large hairstyle holding a letter, seated with a dark background.

THE BODY AND PHYSICAL HEALTH

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

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

A monochrome photo of a person with a shaved head looking down in low light, a tattooed teardrop visible near their eye.

TRAUMA AND PTSD

Why it matters that trauma affects women and men differently

They are too often ignored, yet sex differences affect the kind of trauma people experience and the effect it has on them

by Klára Hanáková