Gender Nonconformity and Communication

What this episode covers

In this episode I primarily focus on how gender roles, expectations, and bias, harms everyone. I explain my experiences as an AFAB autistic who was expected to conform to what I would consider, ridiculous, expectations from a very early age. I also explain a few additional elements of masking that are rarely talked about, specifically vocal intonation and facial expression mismatches. There is a lot of bias towards 'white neurotypical male' in our society and against, well, everyone who does not fit in this category. Recognizing our biases and challenging them to consider other perspectives is key in order to create a balanced and compassionate society. This underlying patriarchy creates a lot of problems both for NT and ND women alike because it forces us to conform from such an early age with 'social skills', expected ways to dress, the way girls and women are 'supposed' to sound and speak. When a woman says something loud, confident, analytical, and intelligent she is seen as a threat. When men do the exact same thing, they are applauded. In this episode I highlight examples of these differences along with the communication differences of autistic vs non autistic people to present a viewpoint to you where no one is inherently superior or inferior for their race, gender, and neurotype. We're all people living life in the best ways we can & recognizing others core needs and emotions without judging them is the first step to creating a more compassionate and authentic society.

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