Reading · The Nuzzo Letter

Abstract: This study examined lower-extremity power using countermovement jump (CMJ) height and estimated peak power across the lifespan with five Finnish datasets. The pooled dataset included 24 804 males and 5413 females aged 6–75 years. CMJ height (cm) was measured on a contact mat from flight time(s), and peak power (W) was estimated using equations for adults and children and expressed also relative to body mass (W/kg). Five-year age groups were formed for mean comparison. CMJ height and peak power increased throughout childhood and adolescence. From ages 11 to 15, males exhibited greater CMJ height and peak power than females. Based on mean values, CMJ height peaked at ages 16–20 and peak power at 21–25 in males, while both peaked at 21–25 in females. Males maintained their level until 26–30 years, whereas females showed a decline after the peak. Segmented regression models indicated earlier peaks for CMJ height (18 years in males, 17 in females) and slightly later peaks for peak power (21 years in males, 19 in females). Before the peaking age, annual relative increases calculated over 11–15 years were 5.6% versus 3.1% for CMJ height and 4.7%–7.6% vs. 4.0%–7.3% for peak power (males vs. females). After the peaking age, annual declines calculated over 52–58 years were 0.9% for CMJ height and 0.3%–0.7% for peak power in both sexes. The results provide insights into life-course patterns and the transitional period of late adolescence and early adulthood, when jumping performance peaks and evidence is limited.

The Gender Gap in Sex Offender Punishment

Journal of Quantitative Criminology (2019)

Abstract: Objectives: This paper tests theoretical arguments that suggest court actors hold gendered views of sex offenders that result in a gender gap in sex offender punishment, where women who commit sexual offenses are treated more leniently than their male counterparts. Methods: We test this argument with precision matching analyses using 15 years of data on all felony sex offenders sentenced in a single state. Results: Results indicate that gender disparities in sex offender sentencing exist and are pervasive across sex offense types. Specifically, male sex offenders are more likely to be sentenced to prison, and given longer terms, than female sex offenders. Findings are similar across sex offense severity and whether the offense involved a minor victim. Conclusions: These findings suggest that female sex offenders are treated more leniently than their matched male counterparts, even in instances of more serious sex offenses and those involving minor victims. Findings support theoretical arguments that contend that court decision-making is influenced by legally-irrelevant characteristics and raise questions about the source of gendered views of sex offenders and their effects on punishment approaches. Findings also raise questions about the virtue of get-tough sentencing policies that provide leeway for such dramatic variation across different groups of people.

It’s Not What Was Said but Who Said It to Whom: Interactant Sex Affects Attributions of Sexism in Ambiguous Situations

Journal of Open Inquiry in the Behavioral Sciences (2022)

Abstract: Building on error management theory and heuristic decision making, we conducted three studies manipulating the sex of the sender and receiver of messages and asked observers to rate the sender’s sexism (Studies 1-3), pleasantness, and professionalism (Studies 2-3). We also examined concern for political correctness (CPC) and social justice attitudes (Study 1), ambivalence toward men (Study 2), and neosexism (Study 3) as moderators of respondent ratings. Across all studies, we found that when the receiver was female, the sender was rated as significantly more sexist, especially when the sender was male. Although CPC, social justice, and ambivalence toward men failed to interact with scenario conditions, neosexism levels resulted in stronger sexism ratings in the male sender-female receiver condition.

Pauline Hanson was once dubbed ‘queen of the men’s rights movement’. Her 30‑year career shows why

The Conversation

Hybrid futures and white nostalgia: Kamala Harris in the age of Trump

Continuum

Abstract: This article examines Kamala Harris’ 2020–2024 presidential trajectory as a site where multiracial, diasporic identity confronts white supremacist nostalgia in contemporary US politics. Its central thesis argues that Harris’ transoceanic hybridity, rooted in Black Atlantic and South Asian Indian Ocean histories, both destabilizes hegemonic narratives of national belonging and reveals the structural limits placed on hybrid, gendered bodies within presidential politics. Drawing on Critical Mixed Race Studies and Diaspora Theory, the article investigates how Harris’ multi-ethnoracial identity was mobilized, scrutinized, and contested in media, campaign discourse, and political attacks, particularly in contrast to Donald Trump’s masculinist, frontier-based imaginaries of power. Methodologically, the study employs qualitative critical discourse analysis of key campaign texts, including the September 2024 presidential debate, Trump’s victory speech, and Harris’ concession speech, alongside close readings of Harris’ memoir. The analysis demonstrates how hybridity operates as a politically ambivalent force that can challenge exclusionary racial logics while remaining vulnerable to containment within dominant structures of power.

Niceness as Whiteness in School Police Officers’ Perceptions of Student Arrest

Education Policy

Abstract: School Resource Officers (SROs), or sworn police officers in schools with arrest powers, are increasingly common in schools. Despite concerns surrounding SROs broadly and their use of arrest, in particular, little is known about how SROs understand their role in arrest. Drawing on a case study of SROs’ perceptions of arrest across two school districts and using a niceness as Whiteness framework, we found that SROs generally expressed trying to avoid arrest. Yet, when they recounted making arrests, they used mechanisms of niceness as Whiteness to justify arresting young people. We examine implications for school safety, care, and future research, policy, and practice.

Mythology of Whiteness: Constructing Black Girls as a Bully

Urban Review

Abstract: This analytical essay uses data from a qualitative study by O’Brien (2017) that explored the social construction of bullying. O’Brien interviewed 16 high school students enrolled in alternative and college-preparatory high schools. Although the study did not focus specifically on Black girls, their narratives surfaced a distinctly different story—one that exposed how whiteness, intersectional power, and cultural ways of knowing construct Black girls as quintessential bullies in schools. This re-analysis explores how Black girls are cast within the mythology of whiteness as archfoes—not merely as disruptive, but as symbolic antagonists whose existence threatens the normative order of whiteness itself. Labeled as bullies, they become scapegoats within a racialized discourse that shields white male violence from scrutiny. While white male shooters are framed as anomalies or victims of circumstance, Black girls are criminalized for protecting themselves and others from the violence inflicted upon them by both educators and students. Findings reveal that the intersection of race, gender identity, and adultification positions Black girls not only as subjects of bullying but also as targets of systemic retribution and disenfranchisement.

The Psychosocial Costs of Heterosexism to Straights: A Focus Group Study

Journal of Counseling Psychology

Abstract: Heterosexism is a social force that affects all people, because heterosexism infuses social institutions and sustains heteronormativity, which dictates social roles for all people regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity. The field of critical heterosexualities has begun to explore how straight people experience costs from heterosexism and heteronormativity. However, few psychological studies have aimed to examine how straight/heterosexual people are negatively affected by heterosexism. In the present study, we explored lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer/questioning, and other sexual and gender minority (LGBTQ+) and straight ally emerging adults’ conceptualization of the psychosocial costs of heterosexism for straight people. We conducted four matched focus groups with LGBTQ+ (n = 13) and straight (n = 10) participants. Using reflexive thematic analysis, we identified three major domains of these psychosocial costs of heterosexism: distorted relationships, heteronormative restraints to self-exploration, and sexual ignorance. Results highlight how heterosexism has harmed straight people’s relationships, hindered their identity exploration and expression, and limited straight people’s ability to seek and obtain sexual knowledge. Findings yield insight for counseling psychologists’ clinical work with straight people, including identity exploration and relationships with LGBTQ+ people. These findings point to potential avenues for advocacy with straight allies, particularly in terms of inter- and intragroup dialogue.

Unmasking manels: a gender disparity exposé in major gynecologic surgery congresses in France and Europe

Journal of Gynecology Obstetrics and Human Reproduction

Abstract: Introduction: The persistent underrepresentation of women in academic forums is concerning. Their equitable representation in gynecology conferences is not only emblematic of progress but pivotal for advancement of the field. We studied the prevalence of “manels” (all-male panels) within gynecologic surgery congresses spanning France and Europe. Methods: We examined the scientific programs from five leading gynecologic surgery conferences held in France and Europe during 2020-2021. Comprehensive data, including faculty details, was collected. Primary outcomes were: (1) mean male faculty percentage across all sessions, and (2) overarching manel presence. Results were stratified by specific congresses and subspecialties, with further comparative analyses between manels vs. multigender sessions and male vs. female faculty attributes. Results: Of 144 sessions, 45 (31.3%) were identified as manels. Male faculty averaged 78.7% across all sessions. Consistent male predominance was observed across all congresses and subspecialties. Interestingly, sessions with a gender mix were not only lengthier but also featured a greater number of chairs/moderators and speakers compared to manels (p < 0.001). Among the 882 faculty members, male faculty exhibited more practice years, a higher publication count, superior H-index (p < 0.001), and predominant professor presence compared to their female counterparts. Conversely, female faculty demonstrated a propensity towards non-gynecology specializations (p < 0.001). After adjusting for years of experience, female faculty remained less likely to hold university positions and had lower publication counts and H-index than male faculty (all p < 0.001). Conclusion: Our investigation highlights manel presence in gynecologic surgery congresses across France and Europe. Women underrepresentation in academic congregations underscores the need for gynecological societies to promote gender equality. As the medical domain becomes more gender-diverse, it is paramount for professional platforms to promote this shift towards inclusivity.

(My brief comment on this article is available on X here.)

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