Exploring Gender and Age Differences in Explicit and Implicit Prejudice Toward Voice-Based Gender Nonconformity.

Area of Science:

• Developmental Psychology
• Social Psychology
• Linguistics

Background:

• Understanding adolescent attitudes towards gender expression is crucial.
• Previous research has not fully explored age and gender influences on attitudes toward gender-nonconforming voices in Chinese adolescents.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate how age and gender influence Chinese adolescents' explicit and implicit attitudes toward adult speakers with gender-nonconforming voices.
• To examine developmental trends and gender differences in prejudice.

Main Methods:

• 214 adolescents (aged 9-18) participated.
• Explicit attitudes assessed via questionnaire; implicit attitudes measured using Implicit Association Tests.
• Participants grouped into younger (9-12), middle (13-15), and older (16-18) age brackets.

Main Results:

• All age groups displayed more negative explicit and implicit attitudes toward gender-nonconforming voices.
• Younger and middle adolescents showed more prejudice toward gender-nonconforming female voices than male voices.
• Older adolescents, particularly boys, exhibited more negative attitudes; implicit bias against non-conforming female voices increased with age.

Conclusions:

• Adolescent attitudes toward gender nonconformity are shaped by both age and gender.
• A divergence exists between explicit and implicit biases, with implicit bias against gender-nonconforming female voices increasing during adolescence.
• Findings underscore developmental variations in prejudice and responses to gender nonconformity.