Race and Gender

Race, or the phenotypic characteristics (e.g., skin color, hair texture, facial features, etc.) of human beings, and gender, the expression of their feminine and masculine characteristics, are two of the primary ways society organizes and structures the lives of people. Reciprocally, people largely organize their sense of themselves through the lenses of their race and gender and, as a result, form identities that are integrally linked to how they present to the wider world. Given the power of race and gender to affect the lived experiences, thinking, and behaviors of men, women, and transgender persons of multiple racial, ethnic, and class backgrounds, it is critical to understand the ways race and gender intersect to shape human psychology. In this entry, the concepts of race and ...