Gender
‘Gender’ refers to a person’s characteristics or identity as shaped by society and the environment as well as biology. Although they are closely linked, gender has a different meaning to 'sex', which refers to the biological differences between males and females.
4 key numbers that could reshape the ‘masculinity crisis’ debate
Are gender-equality gains coming at men’s expense, as some claim? The data tells a more complex story
There's a 'critical' design flaw in women's running shoes, warn scientists
The shoes’ design might be getting in the way of the comfort and performance of female runners
Female gorillas can overpower males twice their size, study finds
Primate society is less patriarchal than we thought
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The Y chromosome is disappearing. Is this the end of men?
The Y chromosome, responsible for creating the male sex, is on the way out. But something appears to be taking its place.
Is women's health really all that bad?
‘Men die quicker, women are sicker’ is an adage among medical professionals. But is women's health really worse than men's? Gabrielle Jackson explains in this extract from Pain and Prejudice.
Caroline Criado Perez | Does data discriminate against women?
We talk to Caroline Criado Perez about the gender data gap and how it causes everything from mild inconvenience to potential fatality.
Helen Gwynne-Vaughan | An extraordinary botanist whose problems of identity still confront female scientists today
A wealthy aristocrat, head of the Women’s Auxiliary Army Corps during WWI, and a university academic renowned for her study of fungi genetics, but always struggling for equality.
Why aren't there more women in science?
Girls are not picking as many STEM A-levels as boys, while professional female scientists are dropping out of the field. Is it time for change?
Why we need to rethink the way we classify people
Humans love to sort ourselves into neat boxes - by gender, race, sexual orientation and more. But, in this extract from Data Feminism, Catherine D'Ignazio and Lauren F Klein argue that it's time to dispense with these classifications.
Kerry Daynes | “I worked with one serial killer, a trained butcher, who dismembered people”
Forensic psychologist Kerry Daynes talks to Helen Pilcher about psychopaths, stalkers and the surreal side of working with serial killers.
Gary Barker | What does it mean to be a man?
Male stereotypes are under increasing scrutiny. Psychologist Gary Barker explains why they are harmful, and what a progressive form of masculinity could look like.
Gender medicine | Should men and women be prescribed different drugs and doses?
Men and women have completely different biologies, and yet doctors prescribe the same drugs and doses to everyone, regardless of sex. The results can be damaging, even deadly. Is it time that medicine treated men and women differently?
Reality Check | Can transgender athletes be fairly integrated into women's sports?
Professor Yannis Pitsiladis takes us through the science behind the debate.
Why are girls put off science?
Many girls are not choosing to study science, technology, engineering and mathematics at A-level and university. We wanted to find out why STEM subjects get a thumbs-down.
Gender stereotypes affect child development, but are we on the brink of a backlash?
Toys with a science, tech, engineering or maths focus are three times more likely to be targeted at boys.
Wally Funk: a story of sexism in the race for space
As one of the Mercury 13, Wally Funk was among the first to be selected for space, but sexism was rife in the 60s. Sue Nelson explains how it still rears its head to this day.
The science of pay transparency
In the UK, women are paid around 10 per cent less than men, on average. One solution might be total pay transparency. Can it fix the problem and are we ready to talk about how much we earn?
The evolutionary paradox of homosexuality
Being gay no longer holds the stigma it once did, but in evolution, why does a non-reproductive trait persist?
Do caterpillars have a sex before they become butterflies?
If you thought your teenage years were awkward, try going through puberty in a cocoon.
Do other mammals go through the menopause?
It's rare amongst mammals, but for humans and a few whales, losing the ability to reproduce with age might help their children's offspring survive.
Is the effort to get more women in STEM worth it?
We speak to Sarah Kember, Professor of New Technologies of Communication at Goldsmiths University about the problems getting women into STEM, the rise of scientism and why Amazon's Alexa is like Joan from Mad Men.
Can chickens really change gender?
Cocka-doodle-woahhhhhh....
Maybe it’s time to rethink what we “know” about sex
In her book Testosterone Rex, now shortlisted for the the 2017 Royal Society Insight Investment Science Book Prize, Cordelia Fine unpicks the science behind the idea that males and females have evolved to be different and that our gender roles are defined.
What's the difference between men and women?
Boys will be boys and girls will be girls, right? In her new book Testosterone Rex, psychologist Cordelia Fine argues that it’s time to scrap gender stereotypes for good.