Hidden Gender Biases and the Stigmas

Behind Sex and Gender Roles

"For sexuality to operate it must be hidden."

- Richard J. Williams
 Hidden Gender Biases and the Stigmas Behind Sex and Gender Roles

“For [sexuality] to operate it must be hidden.” – Richard J. Williams (p. 129)1

Gender bias exists in nearly every aspect of present-day society. It influences the way we

think and behave, and even dictates the way goods are presented to consumers. My findings suggest

that demographics have a direct correlation with the placement of contraceptives in their local

pharmacies.

To further investigate these two things, it is helpful to explore what pharmacies are like in a

society whose gender roles are much more fluid than ours. Comparing the architectural design of

local and Italian pharmacies will unveil the role architecture has on gender-roles, as well as its impact

on consumerism.

Subliminal attitudes towards gender roles are often tied to one’s religion, age, financial status,

and net worth. For example, at Hillandale’s local CVS pharmacy, about 5 miles north from College

Park, contraceptives are located by the pharmacy stand, at the rear of the store. Hillandale consists of

a mixture of multi-residential apartments and single- family homes, offering a variety of elementary,

middle, and high school options within a 3.5-mile radius.

Evidently, more families live here, with the intention of growing and this urban infrastructure

has been tailored to fit their needs. Because more adults with families are populating the area, it is

less taboo for women to buy pregnancy tests from Hillandale’s CVS pharmacy. Figure 1 displays that

both contraception (aisle 18) and pregnancy tests (aisle 19) at Hillandale’s CVS are located at the rear

end of the store, encouraging all individuals to purchase theseitems at the pharmacy stand.

1 “The hotel in Hitchcock is always erotically charged. In the hotel one may easily become someone else; the transitory nature of
residence makes temporary liaisons easy and possible; the simple anonymity of the space (all those corridors, lack of natural
lighting, closed doors, repetition of simple elements) make it easy to hide. Now all of this implies a particular conception of
sexuality. Our understanding that these anonymous, temporary, exceptional spaces connote sex at all says a great deal about
Western concepts of sexuality. In other words, for it to operate, it must be hidden,” (Williams, p. 129).

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This differs from College Park’s CVS, which caters to a younger demographic. Most of the

individuals shopping at this CVS are full-time students who are unprepared to start a family.

Fortunately, both the Hillandale and College Park residents have the freedom to purchase

contraceptives and pregnancy tests from their local pharmacy, allowing them to pre-plan their

family and their future. Over 12 different methods of birth control have been developed since the

1960s. Being able to choose when and whom to build a family with has shifted our societal

construct, including levels of productivity in the corporate world (amongst both men and women)

and a “greater representation of non-traditional, professional occupations,” (The Quarterly Journal of

Economics, 2006).

Although contraceptives are useful, they are still imperfect devices which cannot prevent

pregnancy 100% of the time. This results in another useful family planning aid that has helped

millions of women worldwide: the Home Pregnancy Test, also known as the Early Pregnancy Test

or Error Proof Test, beginning in 1977, (A Timeline of Pregnancy Testing, NIH). Although

the most accurate form of pregnancy testing is done through blood work, a variety of drugstore

options for pregnancy tests have been available since the 1970s, and its uncommon for drugstores in

America to not carry them on their shelves today, (New York Times, 2013).

Since contraceptives and take-home pregnancy tests became mainstream, the family planning

industry has been controlled by the media and capitalist agendas. Although we live in an age where

architecture provokes sexual desire, it is a taboo for women to express their sexuality freely. It is as

if structural elements were designed to represent our innate emotions instead of acting as a platform for

us to express them ourselves. Sex is something marketable and commercialized in American culture

rather than something personal, requiring frequent attention, maintenance, and care.

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 Contraception is simply a commodity today. Condoms are placed so closely to gummy bears

and razers that it has become a joke or phenomenon to buy them - for men at least. Pregnancy tests,

on the other hand, are placed closely to pharmacy stands to make the “walk of shame,” that

many women experience, shorter. Although it is not stated that these items are purposefully placed

in these locations, we are constantly partaking in the subliminal gender roles created for us by our

society.

“Biased language leads to biased technology which in turn results in a biased environment.”

Ella Comberg discusses the way technology and architecture have enforced gender roles in her article,

What it Means to Build Without Bias. Considering the behavioral differences between Americans and

Italians, along with their different styles of architecture and art, it is evident that America is not as

open to gender-neutrality as we think. The technological advances that America has made have only

pushed the separation of gender further, but if America eliminates these gender dividing technologies

(such as self-checkout kiosks), then we may be one step closer to living in the gender-neutral utopia we

claim to desire.

Technology in a pharmacy may seem more convenient and private than isolating, but when it

comes to a consumer’s needs, this technology pushes them away from much needed human

interaction with the pharmacist. In America, the solution for dealing with gender, is modernizing the

transaction process in pharmacies by installing self-service kiosks in them, but this is also pushing us to

refrain from talking about sex and gender openly, with strangers. We have been programmed to feel

shameful about our sexual desires, which makes it easier to judge others for theirs.

Considering that our attitudes towards gender are engrained in Western norms, it is our duty

to intentionally retrain our language to create and nurture this gender-neutral society. This includes

ending the association of essentialism with the chastisement of women, not only for their number of

sexual partners but for having the most basic sexual desires. If each gender is respected for what it is,

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 rather than what it is not, then assuming the roles played in sexual intercourse or even in the home

will be less problematic. In other words, both men and women share masculine and feminine traits,

which should all be embraced. Furthermore, if society can understand that it takes two counterparts

to engage in sexual intercourse, then we can respect that they are both allowed to have sexual

desires.

According to results from a survey shared with Refinery29 by Trojan Condoms, over two

thirds of condoms are purchased by men, and 65% of women had never bought condoms, (Truong,

Kimberly, 2017). Social norms portray women as shameful for buying condoms, since the act proves

they are sexually active. In contrast, men are glorified for it. Considering this double standard, it is

interesting to find that condoms are placed closer to the forefront of College Park’s CVS, whereas

pregnancy tests are hidden at the rear of the store, giving women the opportunity to purchase it at the

pharmacy stand. This specific CVS also has a self-checkout, giving women another way to purchase

their tests with discretion.

For college students, sex may be less of a taboo and more of an experiment, and this means

the approach to sex education is much more fluid. The difference is, this approach is facilitated by the

school’s health center, which offers students free contraception. According to Brandy Reeves’

journal named, Gender Differences and Condom Associated Embarrassment, “more [college student]

participants obtained free condoms (77.1%) than purchased condoms (59.3%). Individuals who had

only ever obtained free condoms were significantly more embarrassed around condom acquisition

than individuals who had ever purchased a condom, and women were more embarrassed than men

[altogether],” (2016).

American pharmacies should be safe havens for customers, but instead they tend to foster

shame or discomfort. The purpose of our local pharmacies should be that we have easy access to

medical specialists who can provide educated recommendations on health products. Instead, our easy

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access to online information and advice has made us less dependent on pharmacists. Although this is

not entirely negative, it has a large impact on the reason we feel so awkward talking about our sexual

health out loud. With the ability to have contraceptives delivered at our doorstep, we literally never

have to interact with a pharmacist or doctor if we choose not to.

We are aware that sex happens, but we keep it hidden as if it were unnatural. In the same

sense, pharmacies are aware of the needs of consumers, but customers do not confront these needs in

fear of being judged. This behavior along with Western norms is what influences the American

pharmacy experience to remain so intimidating. In figure 2, people take to social media to express

their frustration with the lack of normalcy when it comes to purchasing pregnancy tests. A

twitter community member asks followers, “Why does buying pregnancy tests feel like such a

shameful and embarrassing thing to do? Can we normalize buying pregnancy tests? The judgement

eyes I get is overwhelming…and I’m 24.” This tweet accumulated over 10,000 retweets and over

100,000 likes on twitter.

According to Richard J. Williams, “One doesn't need to be a psychoanalyst or a cultural

historian to understand this: the sexual potential of the gaze is what drives nearly all popular visual

culture,” (p. 136-137). To emphasize the way popular culture has influenced sex, it is also necessary

to analyze the way the media influences popular culture. Justin Garcia states, “the media suggest that

uncommitted sex, or hookups, can be both physically and emotionally enjoyable and occur without

“strings,” (APA, 2020). The pharmacy is intimidating because it forces us to confront what has

been done in the dark – meaning there are indeed some strings attached.

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 The sexual potential of the gaze outside of American pharmacies is fun and intriguing, but

inside of a pharmacy it brings our sexual desires and experiences to light. If we know that both men

and women possess the sexual potential of the gaze, then why are women still chastised when it

comes to walking out of a drug store with a pregnancy test in her bag, or with a pack of condoms?

Moreover, how does one’s age affect the view society has on their sexuality? Unfortunately, no

matter how much our Western views of sex have shifted, gender is such a prominent factor in our

language that it can encourage the sex drive of some genders and demographics and humiliate others.

Although sex is a taboo in Western culture, technology promotes it through applications

like tinder and bumble. These applications not only encourage people to have casual sexual

encounters, but they indicate how deeply Americans are drawn to “Hook-up” culture. According to,

Garcia, “Hook-up” culture is defined as, “brief uncommitted sexual encounters between individuals

who are not romantic partners or dating each other,” (APA, 2020). This culture is profoundly

common on college campuses and amongst the younger half of demographics. It is a specific facet of

our current language that has allowed several stigmas to arise, the most relevant one being that

males are praised for having sex more frequently, with more partners, and women are much less

respectable if they do the same.

In a study conducted by Joseph H. Pleck, “region of [a] country is included to take into

account…differences in local norms regarding contraception or availability of condoms,” (p. 735). He

states that, “analyses of female contraceptive methods have found regional variations,” and that attitude

towards the male role is also employed because this more global attitudinal disposition has been found

to be related to other specific traditional male attitudes and behaviors. Many of the attitudinal measures

employed (male responsibility for contraception, perceptions of condoms, etc.) may be partly

influenced by male gender role attitudes, (p. 735).

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 Condoms at the College Park CVS are conveniently located at the front of the store, while

pregnancy tests are discreetly located in the back. It is evident that buying condoms is less

embarrassing than pregnancy tests, but it is also assumed that because of the male's gender role in

society, it is common for him to be the one purchasing contraception. The woman on the other

hand, is given the opportunity to purchase her pregnancy test in private, which alludes to the

gender biases ingrained in our language. She is intentionally given this sense of privacy because

of the stigma surrounding the purchase and her sexuality. This is shown in figure 3, where

contraception is displayed in aisle 5, closest to the entryway and easy to target. It is very unlikely that

one would leave this aisle with a pack of condoms in hand and not be seen. On the contrary, the

pregnancy tests are located at the rear end of aisle 3, one foot away from the pharmacy.

In Italy, people of all ages and genders feel comfortable to publicly display affection – posing

this question: What is it about their language that is so different than ours? Not only do Italians

welcome sexuality into their daily lives, but they do not believe that for them to be sexual, they need to

be hidden. They show affection in public as comfortably as they would behind closed doors.

Figures 4 and 5 are two examples of public displays of affection. In personally captured

photos while studying abroad in Florence, Italy, two couples are kissing – the first image having lasted

for about 20 passionate seconds. This primary research made it evident that an outwardly display of

affection is commonplace in Italy’s ageless corridors and piazzas.

According to Anna de Filipo, “one thing Italians always had on their side is a positive,

natural attitude towards their bodies and body contact in general,” (2018). She highlights that, “Italians

are more careful and mindful about the risks of unprotected sex, yet they remain fond of it. The

average age for the first sexual experience is currently 17 for girls and 14 for boys in Italy.”

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 Considering this, sex does not discriminate against age or gender in Italian culture, rather it

welcomes it as a natural act for all to engage in. Men, of all ages, can be outwardly and publicly

affectionate with other men, and still maintain their masculine frame.

In the New York Times article, Prying Open Europe's Pharmacies, Elisabeth Rosenthal

emphasizes the level of mindfulness that individuals have for one another in Italian culture when

she states that pharmacists supply an important source of health advice across much of Europe. In

Italy, for example, the local pharmacy checks blood pressure. Some medicines - such as

emergency contraception pills – require prescriptions in the U.S. but can be dispensed without one

in Europe because the pharmacist can advise and counsel patients before a sale,” (2007). Filipo also

highlights that, “In places like Italy and Spain, the number of pharmacies is limited by law - only one

in a small town - and they are passed on to children like property,” (2007).

Italian culture is tightly rooted in its historical context. Individuals are connected to their

sexuality through the social norms founded by the ancient romans. Through erotic architecture and

statues which casually reveal the male and female body, Italians find it in their nature to be

connected to their most natural characteristics – like sexual desire. The fact that every individual

must encounter the pharmacist to purchase emergency contraceptives or pregnancy tests eliminates

gender bias and creates the same sense of privacy for all individuals. Figure 6 is one of many

examples of Italian pharmacies that have been in business for over a century and the diagram in figure

7 represents the common layout of Italian pharmacies, which all involve interaction with the

pharmacist.

The history of Italian culture is outwardly sexualized, making it easier to engage in

conversations or actions involving sex. In a survey conducted by Centers for Disease Control and

Prevention in Italy, results show that, “Parents in Rome overwhelmingly supported AIDS, drug, and

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sex education and indicated that instruction should begin for children before the age when risk

behaviors usually begin. The study also revealed that a high number of parents favored explicit

information, specifically about condom use…,” (MMWR, p. 203). This means that students are well

informed about sex and contraception well before college, and thus less inclined to be embarrassed

about it.

Similarly, Italian drugstores are equivalent to doctor’s offices. It is expected for people to

walk away with sensitive items – and no one cares to judge them for it. Pharmacies in Italy – easily

identified by their bright neon green crosses – are family-owned businesses that are welcoming to all

genders and ages. The emphasis on family structure in Italy allows individuals to be open with

strangers more carelessly.

Architecture has the power to promote or avert inclusiveness in a building – but if

architecture is designed for the people – it takes people to unbind themselves from predated

stigmas. Because we use and interpret architecture individually, it is our own duty to become aware

of how it may be dividing us and use European culture as a precedent. Americans can use the Italian

pharmacy as a prototype for American pharmacies and re-invent the relationship customers

have with pharmacists.

If we take all contraceptives and pregnancy tests off the shelves, individuals will be forced to

interact and consult with a pharmacist. This will eliminate biases and stigmas associated with the

purchasing of these items and make both genders aware of the importance of respecting one

another’s choices. Instead of using technology as a divider, we can use it to aid in educating

consumers in the pharmacy setting, (since they are currently only being used to complete digital

transactions).

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 Appendix of Illustrations

Pharmacist

Pregnancy Tests
Contraception
Traditional
Check-Out

Figure 1 | Hillandale CVS

Figure 2

Figure 3 | College Park CVS

 Pharmacist

Pregnancy Tests

Self Check-Out
Contraception

Traditional
Check-Out

Figure 3 Continued

Figure 4 Figure 5

Figure 6
 Pharmacist

Figure 7 | Italian Pharmacy

Key:

Both genders consult the pharmacist

Transparency between customer and pharmacist

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