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Are numbers gendered?
James E B Wilkie1, Galen V Bodenhausen
1Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA. j-wilkie@kellogg.northwestern.edu
Journal of Experimental Psychology. General
|July 20, 2011
Summary
Arabic numerals carry gendered connotations, with odd numbers linked to masculinity and even numbers to femininity. This influences perceptions of abstract concepts and stimuli, demonstrating gender
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Social Psychology
- Gender Studies
Background:
- Nonsocial, abstract concepts can acquire gendered associations.
- Investigating the gender connotations of seemingly neutral stimuli like Arabic numerals.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine if Arabic numerals possess gendered connotations.
- To explore how these numerical gender associations influence judgments of other stimuli.
Main Methods:
- Conducted several experiments pairing abstract stimuli (e.g., baby faces, foreign names) with numerical cues (odd vs. even numbers).
- Assessed participants' judgments of the gender of stimuli presented with different numerical cues.
Main Results:
- Odd numbers (e.g., 1) were associated with masculinity.
- Even numbers (e.g., 2) were associated with femininity.
- Numerical cues influenced gender judgments of arbitrarily paired stimuli, such as judging baby faces as "male" when paired with odd numbers.
Conclusions:
- Arabic numerals carry implicit gender associations.
- Gender serves as a pervasive social framework influencing the interpretation of abstract concepts.
- Logically irrelevant numerical cues can imbue stimuli with gendered meaning.
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