On transition: normative Judaism and trans innovation*

In addressing inclusion for trans Jews, clergy and other leaders in mainstream Jewish institutions may consider how trans Jews can fit into existing normative structures of Jewish law, practice, and community. While some trans Jews are interested in this assimilative version of inclusion, others desire Jewish recognition and affirmation of trans identity. Based on ethnographic and interpretive research, this article examines affirming rituals innovated by and for trans Jews. Instead of engaging with inclusion practices that uphold normativity, the trans Jews discussed in this article are invested in reinterpreting and expanding tradition in order to establish a Judaism that goes beyond recognition or assimilation to affirmation of trans identity.     

More than Just the Breadwinner: The Effects of Fathers' Parenting Stress on Children's Language and Cognitive Development

Despite numerous studies on parenting stress suggesting negative influences on parent–child interactions and children's development, the majority of these studies focus on mothers' parenting stress with little or no acknowledgement of fathers. Using data from the National Early Head Start Research and Evaluation Project, this study examined (i) the effects of fathers' parenting stress during toddlerhood on children's language and cognitive outcomes when children are 3 years old (ii) whether the effects of fathers' parenting stress on children's language and cognitive development vary by child gender? Results from mixed linear models showed fathers' parenting stress predicted children's lower cognitive scores, but there were no gender differences in the effects of fathers' parenting stress on children's cognitive outcomes. In the language domain, boys, not girls, were found to be more susceptible to the effects of fathers' parenting stress. These findings indicated that fathers, in addition to mothers, should be included in early parenting research and interventions. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

“Girls Can’t Play Ball”: Feminist Counseling Using A League of Their Own

This commentary reviews A League of Their Own, a film that provides a fictional account of the lives of women who played in the first year of the All-American Girls’ Baseball League. Set during World War II-era America, the film offers a look into the gendered lives of women seeking careers in traditionally masculine fields. The authors review the movie from a feminist media lens, with specific emphasis on how the two main characters, Dottie and Kit, ascribe to and defy gender stereotypes and gain voice and agency. Specific implications are pulled from the analysis to be used in the context of counseling women, including empowerment of female clients and establishing career identity.     

语法性别对认知的影响及其机制

语法性是许多语言中普遍存在的现象。它本质上属于句法属性,但是一定程度上关联着语义,而且会影响个体对物体的分类、知觉、认知加工,以及对二语的学习等认知活动,其对认知的影响程度受任务、语言、语法性透明度等因素调节。语法性影响认知的机制主要有概念水平上的相似性假设;生物性假设;词汇水平上的双选择模型。未来的研究要进一步探究语法性的认知机制、二语学习中语法性习得的认知过程、语法性不同形式性别差异影响的机制。     

亲子三角关系的性别差异

亲子三角关系指父母发生冲突时,子女主动或被动卷入其中而形成的不平衡的“父亲—子女—母亲”三角关系,通常包括代罪羔羊、亲职化和跨代联盟三大类型,与儿童青少年的内外化行为问题等密切关联。在有关亲子三角关系的发生特点及其影响是否具有性别一致性的问题上,既有研究结论尚存在分歧。这可能与人口学变量的差异和性别角色观念的变迁等因素有关。国内大陆在该领域的研究近乎为零。未来需通过开展本土研究,细化人口学变量和综合运用多种测量方法与指标,采用追踪设计等厘清该问题。     

On the Gendered Nature of Mobile Phone Culture in Israel

Data from surveys and personal interviews were used to analyze gendered patterns and contexts of the mobile phone use of Israelis. The findings suggest that the mobile phone has become an everyday, highly regarded, multipurpose interpersonal communication device rather than a working tool. Both men and women discussed their perceptions of the role of the mobile phone in their lives in quite a traditional gendered manner—activity and technological appropriation for men and dependency and domesticity for women. At the same time, the actual phoning habits and attitudes of users point to a pattern of domestication of the mobile phone and even feminization of its consumption.     

Constructing Gender in Chat Groups

We investigated the construction of gender in chat groups. Four unacquainted persons chatted in two gender-anonymous conditions and a non-anonymous control condition. In one anonymous condition, the gender focus was made salient. The other groups did not know about the gender focus. All participants had to guess the gender of the others and give reasons for their decisions. Results suggest that (a) overall, 2/3 of gender guesses fit the sex category of the targets, (b) gender anonymity was more comfortable for women, (c) participants used mostly gender-stereotypic cues to infer gender, however, men and women used syntactic, semantic, and pragmatic cues (with different predictive value) to different degrees, (d) conversational behavior varied depending on gender anonymity, and (e) degree of gender salience was irrelevant for the use of gender as an organizing category.     

(Un)Changing Menopausal Bodies: How Women Think and Act in the Face of a Reproductive Transition and Gendered Beauty Ideals

Biomedical literature suggests that menopause primarily represents negative change in women’s lives. Feminist literature on menopause proposes that it can represent positive change or is a neutral experience for individual women. Conflicting characterizations result from different empirical emphases; biomedical research has focused on bodily change, and feminist research has highlighted social contexts for menopause. Results from interviews with a snowball sample of 61 women in 2001 illustrate how a change discourse on menopause and gendered beauty ideals combine to create a context within which some women believe that changes in their physical appearances can be attributed to menopause and that bodily change is problematic. In addition, during focus groups and in-depth interviews, women suggested that, in the face of these discourses or ideologies and changing external bodies, they face a “category crisis.’’ Interviewees also discussed how they attempt to prevent/mask bodily change in order to remain attractive, visibly feminine, and desirable in the eyes of men. Findings from this qualitative study illustrate that we must continue to explore women’s perceptions and experiences of bodily change during menopause, as we lack a full understanding of this developmental transition and its biosocial contexts.