What should I write my paper about?

November 14, 2007 11:05 PM

I need a topic for a paper concerning a dilemma in gender/heterosexism

Stipulations:
--Easily researchable
--Lots of statistics readily available
--Has to be an issue in America
--Is not related to gay marriage
--Is not related to sexual harassment
--Is not related to pay inequality

This is actually a really easy and short assignment, and not meant to be anything in depth. I'm just absolutely blanking on what to write about. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

posted by nimkip to writing & language (14 comments total)

The removal of Gender Identity protections from ENDA?
posted by FlamingBore at 11:25 PM on November 14, 2007 [1 favorite]

How about gendered economies? Do some research on expenditures by males vs. females in different market areas. The dilemma here, of course, centers around inequities produced by aculturation to marketing. It would be interesting to determine which gender spends more on durable goods. This ultimately would comprise an "invisible pay inequality" of a sort.
posted by Ambrosia Voyeur at 11:27 PM on November 14, 2007 [1 favorite]

The new legislation in CA for students -- one of the things that it protects is gender identity for transgender students. :) I believe it's called SB 777.

Queer friendly churches in America, it's a growing trend, started in the '70s with the MCC.

Young teenagers coming out earlier, which even though I'm only 22, I find really different from my own experiences. There was just an article in the NYT a few months ago (I think) about this.

Just a few ideas...now back to writing my own Gender Studies paper for tomorrow morning.. ;)
posted by gleea at 11:28 PM on November 14, 2007

A meta-critical review of Ursula LeGuin's The Left Hand of Darkness?

If you do, her (1974?) forweard is a great source of material.
posted by porpoise at 11:38 PM on November 14, 2007

Q methodology is the study of people's subjective perceptions. Here is a good start.
posted by singingfish at 11:45 PM on November 14, 2007

Issues of discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation in fair housing laws in different states, and how this has affected access to housing. Establishment of housing that is only open to GLBT persons, and how this has been affected in areas that have banned discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.
posted by yohko at 12:00 AM on November 15, 2007

The bureaucratic hassles/inequality faced by husbands who change their last name instead of their wives doing so.

Ms Magazine
SF Chronicle
USA Today
posted by mdonley at 12:57 AM on November 15, 2007 [5 favorites]

The financial obligation of fathers-to-be, regardless of their wishes for the pregnancy (keep, abort, adopt?).
posted by Rykey at 6:10 AM on November 15, 2007 [1 favorite]

sexual reassignment surgery not getting covered by health insurance because being transgendered is still considered a psychological problem, not a physical one.
posted by kidsleepy at 6:30 AM on November 15, 2007

Why there are more women in physics (per capita) in places like France then in the US?

Nice, meaty, lots of statistics:
http://radio.weblogs.com/0151290/2007/04/30.html
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/22/science/22phys.html
http://www.aps.org/programs/women/index.cfm
http://www.aip.org/statistics/trends/gendertrends.html
posted by sebastienbailard at 6:39 AM on November 15, 2007

Marketing To Women. Pink versions of perfectly respectable tools "so that women willl buy them" and other pandering to female aesthetics (successful or not). Home-improvement stores, hardware stores, auto repair, and other similar services traditionally used by men adopting better customer service and nicer stores in a bid to attract more female customers (which has improved their rep with men, too.) In this vein, look into the history of Saturn cars, which made a big splash with their policy of not haggling and was, for a time, the best-selling car for women.
posted by desuetude at 6:50 AM on November 15, 2007

The economics of dual income gay households vs. dual income heterosexual households.
posted by greekphilosophy at 7:10 AM on November 15, 2007

There was a great thread on the blue a while back about transgendered people and unisex bathrooms. It inspired a huge discussion and a lot of interesting points were brought up.

I can't find the link though. It was about transgendered people being able to go to a website that maps all the unisex bathrooms to help with traveling. That thread really enlightened me to some of the daily discrimination and problems that transgendered people in our society must deal with.
posted by iamkimiam at 9:48 AM on November 15, 2007 [1 favorite]

I also meant to say that this issue effects all genders, not just the transgendered.
posted by iamkimiam at 9:50 AM on November 15, 2007