Challenging the gender binary: Empirically unravelling the limitation of the male-female categories

Project Information

BeyondGenderBinary

Grant agreement ID: 101054741

DOI

10.3030/101054741

EC signature date 23 May 2022

Start date 1 June 2022

End date 30 November 2027

Funded under

• European Research Council (ERC)

Total cost

€ 2 446 001,00

EU contribution

€ 2 446 001,00

Coordinated by

TEL AVIV UNIVERSITY
Israel

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - BeyondGenderBinary (Challenging the gender binary: Empirically unravelling the limitation of the male-female categories)

Reporting period: 2022-06-01 to 2025-05-31

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

The ultimate goal of this project is to free science and society from the unfounded dogma of sex categories as all-encompassing dichotomies, and to promote a world in which the male-female categories are restricted to the domains in which they have been shown to play a central role (e.g. reproductive medicine), rather than a-priori assumed to do so (e.g. mind and brain). According to the modern normative view of sex and gender (the ‘gender binary’), the male/female dichotomy of reproductive biology maps directly onto many aspects of brain and mind (e.g. gender identity, sexual orientation). The funded research project aims to discover how the four psychological components of the gender binary (psychological characteristics, gender identity, attitudes towards the sexed body, and sexuality) are best described when freed from the dogmatic binary framework. Using self-reports and indirect measures we collect rich data from large and diverse samples on these psychological components, study the interrelations between components, and map variability within each component. By studying the experiences of presumably ‘typical’ populations (i.e. cisgender, heterosexual individuals) we describe variability in domains assumed to be homogenous and advance thinking about nonconformity as a matter of diversity rather than pathology. More broadly, this research project is expected to challenge the ancient categorization of humans into men and women and the unjust gendered social order this categorization helps maintain.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

We created the GMQ (Gender Mosaic Questionnaire) cross-cultural dataset. The GMQ assesses behavioral and psychological variables that show large sex/gender differences in English-speaking (mainly US) samples. The GMQ cross-cultural dataset includes data of ~37,000 people from 26 countries (~1,500 from each country), that were selected to show maximum variation on many characteristics, such as gender equality, violence, economic conditions (https://osf.io/pqsng). The GMQ cross-cultural dataset is and will be used to map variability in domains assumed to be homogenous; study the latent structure of gender and how it varies across cultures; test specific predictions regarding the gender mosaic; and test specific theories and observations regarding gender differences (Aim 1).
Aim 2: Testing whether the gender mosaic framework can disrupt the gender-binary cycle. We conducted interviews with individuals who filled-out the GMQ and viewed their gender mosaic on the gender mosaic website (https://gendermosaic.tau.ac.il/) to learn about their experience. In parallel, we are developing behavioral measures of gender-biased behavior.
Using BEADS (Behaviors, Emotions, and Attitudes towards the Development of Sex characteristics) – a retrospective questionnaire we designed to assess attitudes towards the sexed body, gender identity, gender performance, and sexuality – we created a second dataset of ~2,000 people from Israel. This dataset is being used to study diversity in different aspects of gender and the relations between these aspects in different gender groups (Aim 3).
Using a very large sample (~50,000) from Project Implicit, we validated indirect measures of gender identity and sexual attraction (Keinan-Bar, Joel, Bar-Anan, 2024. A Comparative Investigation of Indirect Measures of Sexual Attraction. Collabra: Psychology). We are now studying the relations between these two constructs (Aim 4).

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

In Aim1, we created a unique dataset – the GMQ cross-cultural dataset. It will enable us and other researchers to test specific theories and observations regarding gender (for example, the gender equality paradox). With greater international public relations, the GMQ could get to many more people around the world.
In Aim 2, we created new tools to assess gender-biased behavior.
In Aim 3, we provide new insight into sex/gender-related experiences of cisgender adolescents.
In Aim 4, we created and validated new tools to indirectly assess gender identity and sexual attraction (Keinan-Bar, Joel, Bar-Anan, 2024, Collabra: Psychology).