Photo: flickr/Derrick TysonUnlike many other languages, most English words are not innately gendered. But apparently things aren't so simple when it comes to numbers. The authors of this study have spent several years studying whether people perceive numbers as having genders, and whether this perception differs between men and women. Here, they asked college students to rate the masculinity and femininity of different numbers shown on a computer. They found that odd numbers tended to be perceived as male (as well as having the characteristics of being "independent and strong"), while even numbers were perceived as female (and "friendly and soft"). Interestingly, zero was classified as neither male nor female, and women tended to see numbers as more gendered than men. Sorry, lady in the photo -- time to put the 9 down. That number is not for you!
The numerology of gender: gendered perceptions of even and odd numbers
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