From Charm School to Prince Charming: Changes in Gender-Biased Adjectives Over Time

The application of adjectives in the speech of native English speakers has been shown to shape and reflect their attitudes regarding gender (Williams & Bennett, 1975). Through adapting the experiments of Williams & Bennett (1975) and Zhao, et al. (2024), we aim to update the perception of gendered adjectives. Through three surveys of college-aged participants, we determined which adjectives have changed in valence and gender association.

All surveys were conducted via Google Forms, with the same set of 57 adjectives from Williams & Bennett (1975) and the Adjective Check List.

• We tested how perception of adjectives have changed between 1975 and today

• Overall there is less gender association but more positive/negative association

• Reflects a cultural shift towards gender neutrality, if not equality

• Critical Thinking: Our team was able to gather and analyze information from a diverse set of sources in order to propose and then research our topic

• Equity + Inclusion: By evaluating the systematic gender and age bias in LLMs, our team demonstrated an awareness of an willingness to engage with issues relating to Equity + Inclusion 

• Teamwork: Throughout the research process, our team exercised the ability to collaborate with other team members in a past-paced environment while respecting diverse personalities and sharing responsibilities.