Manifestations of gender stereotyped patterns in activities in digital environments of Chilean university students

Abstract

Introduction: gender stereotypes are transmitted from generation to generation and become naturalized, making it difficult to deconstruct gender roles. Digital environments are not free of these stereotypical patterns, perpetuating values ​​and social roles related to gender. The objective of this research is to identify activities in digital environments of Chilean university students that may be associated with gender stereotypical behaviors.
Methods: 324 women and 185 men aged 18 to 27 were evaluated through a questionnaire with a six-level Likert scale, where information was collected on the frequency with which students provided information and carried out actions on networks. Significant differences between sexes were analyzed using Mann-Whitney U.
Results: women are more likely to provide personal information when requested. Men are more likely to use aliases, include avatar photos, and accept strangers into their networks. Women update their profile picture more and check who sees their posts. Men tend to make public more sensitive personal information such as political tendencies and religious beliefs.
Conclusions: college students engage in stereotypical gender behavior on digital networks. These stereotypical behaviors condition students' behavior on social networks, leading to a migration from the analog to the digital world in terms of types of behavior, perpetuating social gender roles.