All posts tagged: Women

Men exhibit stronger sunk cost bias than women when mating motives are activated

Men exhibit stronger sunk cost bias than women when mating motives are activated

Published by José

Men are more prone than women to exhibit sunk cost bias—the tendency to persist with an investment despite its disadvantages—when exposed to romantic cues, according to new research published in the Journal of Consumer Research. Surprisingly this effect is not limited to romantic contexts but also extends to consumer behavior, suggesting that deep-seated evolutionary drives can subtly shape decision-making in various context. The sunk cost bias refers to the tendency to persist with a decision or investment based on resources already spent, even when abandoning it might be the more rational choice. For example, someone might continue watching a movie they don’t enjoy simply because they’ve already invested an hour of their time. It is often viewed as irrational because the resources already invested (the “sunk costs”) cannot be recovered, and decisions should ideally be based on future outcomes rather than past expenditures. Traditionally, explanations for this bias have focused on psychological and cognitive factors, such as the desire to avoid waste, fear of regret, or a need to justify prior decisions. However, some researchers …

So Many Excellent 2025 Books By Women of Color

So Many Excellent 2025 Books By Women of Color

Published by skeptic

This content contains affiliate links. When you buy through these links, we may earn an affiliate commission. Welcome to Today in Books, our daily round-up of literary headlines at the intersection of politics, culture, media, and more. A Big List of 2025 Books By Women of Color Electric Literature rounded up 48 books by women of color to look forward to in this fresh, new year. Casualties of Truth by Lauren Francis-Sharma is appearing everywhere and is on my reading list. I scrolled down for books publishing later in the year since those aren’t getting as much hype in these early months and a couple standouts for me include Hot Girls with Balls by Benedict Nguyễn, a satire about trans athletes, and Zeal by Morgan Jerkins, which is a multi-generational look at the legacy of slavery and has a banger blurb from Kiese Laymon. It’s easier to face down what’s gearing up to be a hard year knowing great books by great authors are coming to bring us some joy and remind us of our …

Social media ‘soft girls’ depend on men for money – but Sweden once used state ‘influencers’ to urge women to get jobs

Social media ‘soft girls’ depend on men for money – but Sweden once used state ‘influencers’ to urge women to get jobs

Published by skeptic

The idea of becoming a “soft girl” – a woman who embrace values that are seen as soft, such as beauty and family life, at the expense of a career – is an emerging trend among some social media influencers. Soft girls often opt to be financially supported by a boyfriend or husband. In this way, the soft girl can be seen as similar to an aspiring housewife or “trad wife”, another popular role on social media. Even in Sweden, a country famous for its gender equality policies and repeatedly ranked as number one among countries in the Gender Equality Index, soft girls are reportedly on the rise. This has lead to a heated debate in the country over the past year. Soft girl was even recognised as a “new word” by a Swedish government authority, the Institute for Language and Folklore, in December 2024. The influence of this social media trend stands in stark contrast to the movement that stopped housewife from being a common role for women in Sweden by the 1980s, after …

Apartment Women by Gu Byeong-mo

Apartment Women by Gu Byeong-mo

Published by skeptic

In her latest novel, award-winning author Gu Byeong-mo crafts an intricate narrative that delves deep into the lives of four women brought together by an experimental housing project. Following the success of her previous work, The Old Woman with the Knife, Gu Byeong-mo once again demonstrates her keen ability to dissect social issues through compelling storytelling. Apartment Women presents a microcosm of modern Korean society, examining the intersection of government policy, personal ambition, and the ever-present pressure to conform to traditional family values. The Premise and Setting The Dream Future Pilot Communal Apartments, situated on the outskirts of Seoul, serve as more than just a backdrop—they become a character in their own right. This government initiative, designed to boost the nation’s declining birth rate, requires residents to commit to having three children within ten years. The setting’s isolation from urban amenities creates a pressure cooker environment where tensions simmer beneath a veneer of neighborly cooperation. Character Dynamics and Social Commentary At the heart of the novel are four distinct women: Yojin: A pharmacy cashier supporting …

Estradiol levels may influence the success of exposure therapy in women, study finds

Estradiol levels may influence the success of exposure therapy in women, study finds

Published by José

A recent study demonstrated that the ingestion of 2 mg of estradiol facilitates the extinction of a fear response but also contributes to its stronger return later. In contrast, the administration of progesterone did not show any effect on fear responses. The research was published in Translational Psychiatry. Fear conditioning experiments in humans investigate how individuals learn to associate a neutral stimulus (e.g., a tone or light) with an aversive stimulus (e.g., a mild electric shock), leading to the development of a fear response. These experiments typically measure physiological responses, such as heart rate, skin conductance, or brain activity, to evaluate the conditioned fear response. Researchers believe that fear conditioning can help understand mechanisms underlying anxiety disorders, PTSD, and the processes of fear extinction, as these conditioned responses mimic how individuals with these disorders react to situations that trigger fear and anxiety. In general, females are at a higher risk of developing anxiety and related disorders. Multiple studies suggest that the female sex hormones estradiol and progesterone may influence the development of fear and anxiety …

As Birth Rates Plummet, Women’s Autonomy Will Be Even More at Risk

As Birth Rates Plummet, Women’s Autonomy Will Be Even More at Risk

Published by skeptic

History tells us that all freedoms are conditional. In 1920, the Soviet Union became the first country in the world to legalize abortion, as part of a socialist commitment to women’s health and well-being. Sixteen years later, that decision was reversed once Stalin was in power and realized that birth rates were falling. The pressure on all nations to keep up their population levels has never gone away. But in 2025, that demographic crunch is going to get even crunchier—and the casualty will be gender rights. In both the United States and the United Kingdom, the rate at which babies are being born has been plummeting for 15 years. In Japan, Poland, and Canada, the fertility rate is already down to 1.3. In China and Italy, it is 1.2. South Korea has the lowest in the world, at 0.72. Research published by The Lancet medical journal predicts that by 2100, almost every country on the planet won’t be producing enough children to sustain its population size. A good deal of this is because women have …

Six ways to make the internet safer for women

Six ways to make the internet safer for women

Published by skeptic

Women are less likely to protect themselves online because current safety advice does not take full account of their needs – despite women being more at risk from cyber abuse and threats than men. This abuse of women is a growing problem, with one in five reporting they have experienced harm online. While the UK’s Online Safety Act commits to tackling online violence against women and girls, the solutions are not straightforward. Prevention, training and education for women are all essential. My research with Magdalene Ng from the University of Westminster has identified a gender gap in accessing online safety advice and technology. We found that men are more likely than women to engage with and be informed about security and privacy technologies aimed at keeping people safe online. We conducted a survey asking more than 600 UK adults (approximately 50% women and 50% men) about their preferred online privacy and security methods. Respondents indicated their preferred approach to keeping informed about online safety, with options including formal training from official bodies, semi-formal advice from …

5 Women in Philosophy of Science You Should Know

5 Women in Philosophy of Science You Should Know

Published by skeptic

  It takes courage and competence to excel in a field that connects two knowledge domains traditionally reserved for men—philosophy and science. Not only did they have to navigate the challenges of the field, but they were also up against concerns such as misogyny and harassment. Learn about the contributions of some of these renowned women who were uncovering conceptual foundations of methodology in both natural and social sciences while breaking social barriers and gender norms.   Women in the Philosophy of Science Hypatia Teaching in Alexandria, Robert Trewick Bone, 1790-1840. Source: Yale Center for British Art   Although it may seem that philosophers engaged actively with science in the 20th century, the roots tying the two together run even deeper. The men behind early modern science called themselves “natural philosophers” or “experimental philosophers.”   This labeling persisted as late as the 19th century, as evidenced by Michael Faraday’s lectures, where he referred to himself and his colleagues as experimental philosophers. However, what is usually considered the “philosophy of science” originated within the analytic tradition …

Women exhibit less manipulative personality traits in more gender-equal countries

Women exhibit less manipulative personality traits in more gender-equal countries

Published by José

A new study exploring how gender equality relates to Machiavellianism—a personality trait characterized by manipulation, exploitation, and deceit—has revealed a surprising trend: countries with higher gender equality tend to exhibit larger differences between men’s and women’s scores on this trait. While men’s Machiavellian tendencies remained stable regardless of national gender equality, women were less likely to endorse such traits in more egalitarian societies. The findings have been published in the International Journal of Personality Psychology. The study sought to address a longstanding question in psychology: why do men consistently score higher on Machiavellianism than women? Previous research has shown this pattern is persistent across cultures, yet the factors contributing to the gap remain unclear. The researchers behind the new study hypothesized that cultural and societal structures, particularly gender equality, might influence the magnitude of this difference. Building on the concept of the “gender equality paradox,” which posits that greater equality can sometimes amplify psychological and behavioral differences between men and women, the researchers aimed to test whether this phenomenon extended to Machiavellianism. “As a psychologist …