Women on NationStates
Poll Results
Just a quick note, that with my polls, I generally prefer to let the data (and responses) speak for itself. If there’s anything that’s unclear or worthy of discussion, I certainly welcome that in the comments, but I’m going to try to refrain from editorializing myself here since I think I did plenty of that on Mixlr last night. 
Demographics
We had 24 respondents, 9 (or so) of whom opted to remain anonymous.
[spoiler][ul][li]Almonaster
[li]Ambrella
[li]Ananke
[li]Bootsie
[li]Ever-Wandering Souls
[li]Festavo Montresor-Stark
[li]I’m okay with it.
[li]Kleo/Marselesk
[li]Luthadel
[li]Mousebumples
[li]Reddogkeno101
[li]Sierra Lyricalia
[li]The Church of Satan
[li]The Grim Reaper
[li]Todd[/li][/ul][/spoiler]
Other: Reptilian
Other:
[ul][li]Regional
[li]Nuts N’ Bolts nut
[li]Raider
[li]GCR Delegate[/li][/ul]Gender on NationStates
General note before we jump into the short-answer questions. These were all “optional” so some players may not have answered all of them. And some of the answers reference other ones given by a particular repsondent, but I’m not planning to isolate who-said-what here. Particular respondents are welcome to clarify or discuss further in the comments, however.
What would you view as the benefits of having a female player in an active/primary role within a region or group?
[spoiler][ul][li]No benefit from being female alone.
[li]Women tend to provide a different perspective. It may have something to do with age as well, but I find that groups/regions with better male/female balance are more stable. Female players, in my experience, have tended to be more sensitive and inclusive in leadership roles.
[li]I don’t really see the benefits of having one gender of the other. Perhaps a different viewpoint?
[li]“A generally heterodox point of view on discussions regarding real-life events and issues.
A more even-handed discussion of minority and gender roles in the region, such as how identities affect role titles and gendered wording of legislation, that differs from RL standards.”
[li]Moderation
[li]It provides a different viewpoint to some issues that male players may not have considered/know anything of
[li]“I think it’s important for women to serve in leadership positions because diversity at the top (or among the most active members) helps encourage diversity among the wider ranks. This is not true only of gender, but in an online, mostly anonymous situation, gender is the issue that comes up the most often. I have never been asked what race I am, but I have been asked more times than I can count whether I’m male or female.
Additionally, when women are in leadership positions they are better able to ensure a safe environment for others in the group, free of sexual harassment, stalking, and other kinds of unwanted attention. The extent of the prevalence of that kind of behavior is not generally appreciated by male players, in my experience, and when the top leadership contains no women it is much more likely that other female players’ experiences will be belittled and dismissed.”
[li]I suppose it could offer a different perspective. Then again I don’t view anyone as being beneficial by virtue of something as trivial as gender, race, etc.
[li]In general, females are underrepresented. Having women in any roles works against that underrepresentation. Having women in key positions can amplify this reduction in underrepresentation and provide stronger voice for women overall.
[li]In my experience, having females in gameplay leadership roles tends to tone down the aggressiveness of that leadership - or changes the way that aggressiveness is perceived/enacted, so that it comes across as less individualistic/egotistical. (Note: tends.) Females in power also tend to cultivate a wide network of supporters and allies, which can help stabilize a government. I’d attribute that to female leaders deliberately playing into self-effacing - or, alternatively, personally attractive - gender roles; it’s easy enough to take on a male gameplay persona if you choose, so anyone who identifies as female in gameplay is doing so deliberately.
[li]From my experience female players often help groups run more smoothly by making sure things work properly and getting people involved. Whether someone enjoys or let themselves be typecast in role depends on who they are and what interest them. I think it’s beneficial for regions to have a mix of guys and girls active in regional affairs. Would be kinda boring otherwise.
[li]I might be talking out my ass here, so forgive me if so. But it seems likelier that a female player might go further out of her way to make sure everyone gets a say or participates (having been so often sidelined herself just from the way most human civilizations have hitherto operated). Maybe.
[li]The majority of female players I’ve interacted with have been mature, level-headed, fair players, and a valuable asset to the region. Other than that, they’re just another member It we’re talking % of males in the groups vs % females in the group, women score far higher on “people I feel more trusting with them to keep things calm and orderly.”
[li]Diversity / different opinions and feelings. But that’s not really gender-specific. I just like having a lot of players in a region.
[li]Equality of genders, I guess. Each gender brings something to the table, and it’s good to have both (or however many genders they are).
[li]None
[li]Not much different than males.
[li]Diversity of thoughts, opinions and discussions.
[li]Diversity
[li]It’s good to have a wider range of people. They are interesting to talk to.
[li]A different opinion. Most of the players are male in NS, so usually the female players sometimes bring a viewpoint that we don’t have.
[li]Women tend to be nicer, more lovable and more than professional in my experience.[/li][/ul][/spoiler]
What would you view as the benfits of having a male player in an active/primary role within a region or group?
[spoiler][ul][li]No benefit from being male alone.
[li]“Sorry, ditto.
I don’t really see the benefits of having one gender of the other. Perhaps a different viewpoint?”
[li]A generally orthodox point of view on discussions regarding real-life events and issues, in regions that may be female-dominated (examples of which I am not aware of).
[li]There are more of them to go around.
[li]It provides a different viewpoint to some issues that female players may not have considered/know anything of
[li]“While I am in favor of a generally diverse elite, I cannot name any specific benefits to having men among the leadership.
I also cannot name any group, excluding those specifically geared toward women, which has no male leaders, even though I could probably name dozens which have no women.”
[li]I suppose it could offer a different perspective. Then again I don’t view anyone as being beneficial by virtue of something as trivial as gender, race, etc.
[li]None particularly. We must remove the gender inequity and reveal the candidate for their skills and merits alone.
[li]Male players can sometimes act more unilaterally and decisively without being perceived as overreaching or trampling on the rights of others.
[li]Having male players in primary roles tend to be the status quo in NS, so I’m not sure it’s really possible to say what the benefits would be, since we’re so used to that being the case. It tends to be us girls, who stand out when we’re active.
[li]Other regions/groups might be less likely to be hostile toward the group in question, but that’s negated if the alternative female leader is a Thatcher or a Joan of Arc.
[li]I don’t see any particular benefit of having a male player. The majority of members of every region I’ve been in have been male, and truly run the spectrum of behavior.
[li]See female answer
[li]Equality of genders, I guess. Each gender brings something to the table, and it’s good to have both (or however many genders they are).
[li]None
[li]Not that much different than females.
[li]I would not be swayed by a specific gender.
[li]Diversity
[li]Good to talk to and interact with.
[li]Bros.
[li]Men generally goof off more, crack more jokes and spend more time on NS.[/li][/ul][/spoiler]
What would you view as the downsides of having a female player in an active/primary role within a region or group?
[spoiler][ul][li]No downside from being female alone.
[li]No downsides besides the one creepy stalkers might bring.
[li]Depends on the female. In general: none.
[li]It might become a them vs everyone situation
[li]“For that particular woman, a leadership position can make her a bigger target of certain types of creep. And, while sometimes she is then better placed to put a stop to harassment by invoking a forum ban or widespread shunning, in some situations she ends up more vulnerable. Specifically, when leaders are expected to be strong, powerful, fearless, or other such adjectives, a woman who is targeted with harassment can find that her own reputation is harmed if she speaks up - that others expect her to suck it up and deal.
But I cannot think of any negatives for the broader group.”
[li]I don’t really see a downside for something such as gender. Everyone, man or woman, is good or bad in their own way.
[li]None particularly. See above comment.
[li]Female leaders are more likely to be criticized for perceived weakness than males, and may not be taken seriously. Men will be called incompetent instead for the same behavior.
[li]“I don’t think there’s any general downsides. It depends on the people involved imo. Sometimes you hear complaints about flirting between male and female players leading to trouble, but it’s a bit weird to only blame that on the female part. Especially since from my experience the guys tend to be the ones initiating flirting most of the time.
One downside might be that some players have a tendency to think that a female player is easier to manipulate than a guy. I’ve only experienced that a handful of times though.”
[li]None inherent; depends on the individual.
[li]Going back to my previous comment… nearly every woman I’ve interacted with on NS has fallen into one of two categories - The first being as mentioned, extremely mature and level headed, fair, reasonable, etc, and larger. The second is where the bad rep can come from - there have been female players I’ve interacted with who’ve done nothing but cause drama, start and break virtual relationships every other week, maintain very attention-seeking behavior, and use their gender as a tool for advancement, perhaps even a weapon. It’s also worth noting that, to no fault of the woman of course, having a woman in the group can bring out very undesirable behavior in some male members that were otherwise tolerable. They’re the ones who need to be dealt with then, obviously, but such issues have caused me to lose good region members and updaters that I was disappointing to find could not handle themselves around someone without a dick.
Potentially targeted by some unscrupulous or overzealous players looking to score some weird kind of NS dating service thing.
[li]Um… none?
[li]None (+3 more identical responses)
[li]I don’t really see any downsides.
[li]Sometimes they are confusing and misleading
[li]Attraction of creeps and the possibility of more drama.[/li][/ul][/spoiler]
What would you view as the downsides of having a male in an active/primary role within a region or group?
[spoiler][ul][li]No downside from being male alone.
[li]For some reason I get the feeling that NS is overwhelmingly male already, so no downsides.
[li]“Depends on the male. In general: none.
What can be problematic is all-male or male-dominated groups. They can get rather over-competitive and/or snarky.”
[li]It might become a them vs everyone situation
[li]I don’t think there are any downsides to having men in leadership. However, I do think there are problems with leadership consisting solely of men - the trivialization of harassment and stalking at best, and at worst the encouragement of an environment where those occur.
[li]I don’t really see a downside for something such as gender. Everyone, man or woman, is good or bad in their own way.
[li]It is an overly familiar experience.
[li]Consensus-building from a male can be viewed as a sign of weakness… although that can apply to female leadership as well.
[li]As above, I don’t think you can really generalize much due to gender. People’s specific personality tend to matter more when it comes to what mistakes they make when they’re in a position of influence somewhere.
[li]None inherent; depends on the individual.
[li]"There are far more, and a feel a far higher % of, young and/or immature male players on NS. 8th grade boys do not usually interact well around women on even ground, in my experience. There’s a lot of unnecessary vulgarity, even when it’s not intentionally hostile. Furthermore, there are older players, otherwise competent GP’ers, whose behavior around women is absolutely unacceptable. That said, male leaders is somewhat of the status quo, and in most cases, not an issue.
To conclude my notes, besides stereotypes, I’d honestly say in my NS experience, gender for me may be worth a fraction of a first impression, but soon enough means nothing compared to how they behave as a person. The internet as a method of communication helps with that - there are players who’s gender I don;t know and don;t need to know, players like, say Isabella Hime/Vandoosa that I knew for over a year before learning that they were not in fact female players, and male players that pose as female ones. You can’t really take gender at face value to begin with, any more than you can a screen name. I judge people far more based on their interactions, which can then perhaps be applied to a confirmed gender to create a stereotype, but one that again offers little help even in an early interaction. People are people no matter what they have down there, and people are either decent and trustworthy or not - and I value those facets infinitely higher than what shape your private bits are in. "
[li]Unknown
[li]Um… none?
[li]None (+2 more identical responses)
[li]Bullish behaviour.
[li]I don’t see any downsides.
[li]Men are idiots.
[li]Not as approachable. [/li][/ul][/spoiler]
What female player(s) have you looked up to and respected during your time on NationStates? Why?
Note: I’ll be bolding the individual names to make them stand out more.
[spoiler][ul][li]Naivetry, Asta, Harmoneia are the three I can think of off of the top of my head. All three were/are amazing NS players, far more storied than I will ever be.
[li]Mousebumples is definitely one of the kindest and most mature people involved with the game today. She’s easy to work with, a great confidant, and a hard worker. She’s certainly a credit to all female players, but really to players in general. Additionally, other female players like Rach, Earth22, Aisli, Moomoosharoo, etc have had varying influence on me throughout my career.
[li]None, but also I’ve only been on this site for a few months
[li]“Astarial, as a generally dominant voice in the regions I have been part of during my time in NS. A capable delegate in multiple regions at different times, and one who took a leading role in major legislative action in most of them, as well as a capable Gameplayer.
Reploid Productions, as a senior female moderator in a number of the forums I have been closest linked to.
Jenrak, as a senior female moderator in the number of the forums I have been closest linked to, and a particularly capable RPer who made great contributions to the organization of the NS RP community at large. She was a crucial member of the main RP IRC channels, and in the major RP region Azhukali.
Nanatsu no Tsuki, as a long-standing NSGeneralite who at varying times helped to foster a sense of self-moderation that became the norm for location threads, through active involvement in supporting those communities and acting as a rolemodel for younger members. The standards set then carried over through the location thread ban to particular sections of the NSG community, particularly the current Eternal Thread.”
[li]“Jamberry, Checkers MdDog, ParanoidM, Pope Hope, Yuppanqui, Esselldee (RIP), Improving Wordiness, ParrrrTay, Lorelei County, Matilda Love, …
For a variety of reasons, generally as varied as the women themselves.”
[li]None, haven’t really met any in highup positions yet
[li]“Ananke: For kicking ass, for finding a way to be in both 10KI and TNP despite general prohibitions against that, for stepping up as a TNP admin during a horrible time and never giving up despite the really awful shit she was subjected to, for being all around awesome.
Naivetry: For her strong ethical convictions, for her kind-but-firm leadership of Equilism and TRR during troubled times, for her work ethic and willingness to step up and help out, for her consistent thoughtfulness and generosity, for her protectiveness and loyalty toward her friends and home region.”
[li]“Harmeonia would be one such player. Although that’s due to her seniority in Lazarus rather than her gender.
Tierra de Madre over in Renegade Islands too, for the same reason as Harm, except in RIA.
And Myroria for the same reason in Taijitu.”
[li]“Astarial, Naivetry, Crazy Girl, Mousebumples, Hamajahala, Xoriet
I appreciate their effort toward building and participating in their community.”
[li]“In no particular order:
Nevadar - led Gatesville for many years with style and savvy
Minineenee - developed a personal network with enough skilled/important players to pull off interesting coups
Ananke - built a leadership role in XKI by serving with friendly enthusiasm and defending with integrity, civility, and kindness”
[li]“Quite a lot. Pope Hope, Crazygirl, Magicality, Erastide, Great Bights Mum, Improving Wordiness, LadyRebels, Drwych, Peoples of Yavanna, MinnaCaroline, Bistmath, Astarial, Unfree People, Minineenee, Xoriet, Monte Ozarka, Naivety, Annorlunda, Rachel, Caras Way, Bamaba, Lyanna Stark,
And I’m sure there’s plenty I’m forgetting right now.”
[li]“Ardchoille(ans) - unabashed (and unapologetically competent) old-school lefty
Eirann Fae - argues her points ably and also unapologetically
haven’t interacted enough with Mouse to form reasonable opinion
probably some others who didn’t disclose their gender for unfortunate but all too common and understandable reasons”
[li]"My interactions with you, mouse, have always been pleasant 
I consider Xor (Xoriet, also Ayvari in TBH these days) one of my closest acquaintances and confidants on NS.
Tram isn’t around much, but she’s an old Hawk I respect.
I respect Kemi/whatever she goes by these days. I don;t always agree with her personal choices, but she’s been through a lot of shit, and come out pretty well.
Only interacted a little with Shadow, but she’s definitely a good infiltrator
Minineenee is related to me somehow now thanks to my sneak adoption by Xor, and we’ve chatted as well
I’ve talked a wee bit with Nathi, and she was always a mod I viewed as hardworking. Firm, but rightfully so, and doing a lot of public cleanup. Her removal still disappoints me. "
[li]Mouse, Xor, Shell of Catlandatopia, Ananake. I respect them as players and don’t really focus on gender.
[li]“Mousebumples (Europeia) - Friendly, helpful, and hardworking.
MagentaFairy (Albion) - Friendly, active, and engaged.
Kuramia (Europeia) - A new Minister/CA Chair that got more work done than I ever could, and was very easy to work with.”
[li]Mostly Xoriet. I can’t say i know a lot of girl NSers, and she’s the most badass among the few i know.
[li]“Kemi/Tyegea, Mouse”
[li]Darkesia. As a member of TWP, founding during her time as Delegate I feel she embodied TWP culture: Smart, funny, honest, fair, snarky, and doesn’t except poor behavior. She has always been welcoming and fun to chat with.
[li]Netz and Mouse. They told me how Europeia operated.
[li]Being fairly new, I haven’t really been too involved with any females on here, although a bit more recently I have become more friendly with more people, some of whom are female.
[li]SillyString, because she is the bombdiggity. Mousebumbles, because she is an enigma. Xoriet, because she is hilarious.
[li]I respect more, but mainly Xoriet.[/li][/ul][/spoiler]
Please elaborate on your response to the previous question.
[spoiler][ul][li]It is important to ensuring everyone feels welcome and that they have a chance.
[li]If the region/group is respectful of everyone regardless of gender, gender neutral language shouldn’t really matter at all.
[li]I mean if my Military Leader says “Men, listen up!” I won’t get mad or anything, but I mean, if there are females and they constantly refer to things using male pronouns I guess that’s a bit annoying
[li]In legislation I prefer the use of gender-neutral language, as well as in official correspondance and WFEs. However I don’t mind permanent or single-member positions having gendered titles, assuming that the title is of the holder’s gender.
[li]I think the attitude is more important than the language. I do try, because I know some find it offensive, but I’m not very PC in general.
[li]When referring directly to someone you should use terms such as ‘he’ and ‘she’ correctly, but in the general sense I don’t think it really matters
[li]“There are a few issues with using gendered pronouns.
First of all, the use of male-as-default in legal documents and the like perpetuates a standard assumption of a man as a basic unit of personhood and a woman as some sort of deviation. It is exclusionary and belittling - and it’s incorrect, to boot.
Second of all, some peoples’ (mostly men) insistence on knowing someone’s gender so that they can refer to them with a certain pronoun winds up making others (mostly women) highly uncomfortable. There are very good reasons why women might not want to announce their gender to the world (see: aforementioned harassment, stalking, sexualization, etc.), and pressuring them to tell you, especially over and over and over again, betrays a complete lack of sensitivity to what women face and their right to be left alone about it.
Thirdly, when people default to simply using the male pronoun to refer to anyone they encounter, you end up with situations like this:
Jerk Newb: ““Wow our delegate is so mean. We should overthrow him!””
Well-intentioned RMB regular: Actually, I love LadyDelegate! She’s great!”"
Jerk Newb: ““WHAAAAT LADYDELEGATE IS A GIRL??? NO WAY!!! WOW A GIRL ON THE INTERNET HOW WEIRD! A/S/L WNA CYBER???””
Obviously this is exaggerated for humor, but the general encounter is the same - and let me tell you, it is so frustrating to constantly see utter incredulity that women and girls exist online - it’s actually even MORE frustrating when it’s feigned incredulity. You’re not original, you’re not cute, you’re not funny. You’re trite, boring, and rude. Shut up.
Anyway, a gracious default of ““they”” solves all of these issues. No more excluding! No more creepy pressure! No more gross ““fake”” sexism! And best of all, no more backward ungrammaticality!"
[li]My memory isn’t very good so I can’t really be bothered to try and remember everyone’s gender. With so many people to keep track of I’d rather just make an assumption and if I’m wrong, oh well, my bad.
[li]“There are more than two genders.
The historical default to maleness is offensive.”
[li]“I’m not bothered in game or IRL by the use of masculine pronouns as a default/universal; probably from growing up on early 20th c. British literature. I understand that it bothers other people, however, and generally accept the need for gender neutral language as a sign of inclusivity and equality. I think culturally we are at the point where NOT using gender neutral language implies the speaker’s hostility towards their idea of what feminism is about.
I do, however, prefer to use specific gender pronouns to refer to people when the gender of a player/persona is known. I interpret ““they,”” when used to refer to an individual, as an expression of ignorance about that person’s gender.”
[li]It’s not something I usually notice unless it’s sexist or something. However I’ve noticed that to me regions which doesn’t have female players active in the running of the region seem less friendly overall. It’s as if they forget that the other half of the player base is female and they might want to make an effort to engage and acknowledge us.
[li]I don’t get offended by use of the masculine singular pronoun to denote a generalized person or a hypothetical example; but too much of it may drive female players away, which makes shit less fun.
[li]If I understand what you’re asking correctly, you’re reffering to things such as referring to unknown folks as “he,” reffering to troops as “men,” etc. If I’m getting that right… it’s accepted as commonplace. Now, if someone corrects a gender or something, it will be respected, or else. There’s no toleration for deliberate misgendering or otherwise being an asshat, but that falls more under the general rules against asshattery. We don’t enforce political correctness as a rule, or forced neutrality, and have held many a partially heated debate on current events
Long story short - calling the newb “He” until otherwise informed is fine, and both less insulting than “it” and far more grammatically proper than “they,” but calling a “she” “he” will not fly.[li]Men are men, women are women. Each have differences. It shouldn’t really be a big deal.
[li]Inclusion.
[li]If we’re making a new document or something like a law, then we should strive to use gender neutral language, but we don’t need to go back and change everything for this.
[li]Depends on the region. If regions or groups say “when the male candidate is elected president” - that’s a problem. If regions or groups default to using “he/his” but are otherwise welcome or inclusive of women, I think that’s okay as there’s not really any gender neutral pronouns (unless you want to defer to its or them/theirs, which sound odd) in the English language.
[li]I act the same in a chat whether there are females in it or not. I don’t see the reason to make all of this such a big deal. It’s confusing to me why so many people are actually making this a big deal, actually.
[li]Well it depends on your region. In a big region, it is sometimes okay if you ask their gender first, but not to judge them on that. That is the big trade off. To reveal your gender may come at a cost. So there is no real right way to do it, because gender neutral language is perhaps required more than thought
[li]To avoid sexism.
[li]I’m not too fussed, either way.
[li]If a person is identified as a male or female, you should use their gender, but if not, “they” is good.
[li]Sorry, I don’t do that at all.[/li][/ul][/spoiler]
Impact of Gender on NationStates
Please elaborate on your response to the previous question.
[spoiler][ul][li]Gender does not come into play very often when we simply cannot see the other posters.
[li]I have heard of it and seen it occasionally, but I know it’s widespread outside of my own community.
[li]Never seen any. But again, only been here for a few months.
[li]“I have become less active generally in recent times, so many of the regions I still stay in touch with have or have had major female and male players, as they were regions I tended to have social ties to. As I didn’t really have social ties to regions that didn’t have gender-tolerant communities, I don’t bystand or experience much discrimination anymore.
In the past I have been second-hand notified of sexual discrimination and harassment, but rarely have seen it myself. Much of what I am made aware of is either by people in multiple communities, or was done through private channels between the said person and harassers.”
[li]“I’ve heard tell, but I haven’t been around many actual instances. We dealt with one incident in Canada, but it was pretty mild.”
[li]I’ve seen posts that imply it’s happened before, but not been here long enough probably to have seen any myself
[li]“This kind of depends on how you define ““discrimination””, so bear with me.
In most well-established gameplay regions, there are some female players and they sometimes get elected/appointed to things. I have rarely seen any election campaign or any appointment go down the route of questioning whether someone is competent because of their gender. Not that it doesn’t happen, since it certainly does (I was once pestered about joining a region ““because it needs the female touch””), but that kind of overt shit is incredibly rare.
What’s a bit more common is… I’m not sure how to term it. Sexualization of politics? Basically, you’ll sometimes see female players flirt heavily with influential male players, seeking favoritism for advancement, or male players will flirt with female ones with an implied subtext of ““if you don’t flirt back, I won’t vote for/appoint you””. And while this does happen sometimes, it’s also a charge that has been leveled at every single female player who has reached a position of authority. We’ve ALL been told we slept with someone to get there… that we have no merit of our own except giving good sex.”
[li]Can’t really say I’ve seen it myself. I’ve definitely heard about it over the years, you know, mainly about people like Govindia.
[li]Asm much as anywhere else I guess, which is to say, culturally pervasive.
[li]“I’ve not been around for the more recent claims of harassment from certain players, but I have witnessed some horrific insensitivity from male players on the topic of rape.
I don’t know of anyone who’s been excluded from leadership in a region because of their gender. Far from it. I know certain players who have adopted female personas because they found it easier to avoid suspicion or hostility that way, and easier to form a sort of cult of personality based around their perceived identity as the rare and thus somehow automatically attractive/desirable female. Of course, that in itself is a form of discrimination.
I have, however, experienced a dismissive attitude from a few male players (not all, by any means) towards female players on the military side of things. The assumption was that the female was less accomplished, knowledgeable, or to be taken seriously about what she was saying. This was more often the case when it was a question of who should be giving orders, and whose orders should be respected if there was a conflict of interests.”
[li]I’ve been fortunate that it hasn’t happened very often to me, but I tend to somewhat quiet by nature. I remember Pope Hope having to deal with a lot of sexist crap because she was female and influential. I’m sure other female players has experienced the same thing.
[li]“I pay attention almost exclusively to the GA forum, so while I’m sure there’s a proportional amount of sexual harrassment commensurate with NS’s population size and the general rate of it in ““modern”” society, I’ve personally been exposed to very little of it.
I mean, I am broadly aware that there exist allegations against one particular prominent player regarding offsite forums, but I don’t know any details. I’d be surprised if there were no other examples, but I don’t actually know what or who they are or have any information about them.”
[li]More than I’d like. It goes several ways - overly coddling female players either due to ulterior motives, some feeling of obligation, or fear of appearing discriminantive, looking down on them as “inciting trouble,” looking on male players as somehow more normal, or looking at them as potential issues with female players.
[li]I put “two” here because I have seen it on both fronts, but moreso with creepy guy players trying to score internet points with females. Some have taken it to an extreme level. It’s quite disturbing, some of those cases.
[li]I see it, but not commonly, and when it is seen it is usually immediately adressed.
[li]I’ve only heard of it, not really seen it.
[li]It’s not common but it does happen, and sometimes it happens because people are afraid to call attention to themselves by saying, “This isn’t cool, and we shouldn’t be okay with this.” There are a lot of young players on NationStates - not that that’s an excuse by any means - but some of them thing, “Haha, this is so funny,” until they have someone that stops them and makes it clear that, no, we don’t do that here. I’m trying to be more active in standing up when I see that sort of thing, but I obviously can’t be everywhere, so I’d urge everyone to take on a more active role in that way.
[li]I see a lot of sexist jokes, and i even participate in the making of said jokes. But they’re just that, jokes. Not serious statements meant to get a message across. [li]I can’t say i recall any time i’ve witnessed sexual or gender discrimination. If i ever did, it was probably so petty and irrelevant that i forgot it.
[li]I have seen one person in particular suffer, but many more suffer, and as a male, it makes me feel shame. It is something that needs to change.
[li]I have never witnessed it. However I have heard about it from female players.
[li]Everyone is friendly.
[li]I haven’t seen any discrimination against genders, at all. It is likely that discrimination takes place more in private, and not where I see it. Also, I see females being treated well, and being successful across different regions.
[li]I’ve never seen it, but men are men, so…
[li]I cannot remember the last time I saw discrimination.[/li][/ul][/spoiler]
Personally I tend to go for consensus rather than conflict, but I’ve known plenty of female players in NS who didn’t mind putting their foot down and fight fire with fire.
