A view of gender: A Delphi study with Cypriot participants

Supervisors: Dr Cora Sargeant, Dr Sarah Wright

The cultural and societal context in which gender norms exist play a pivotal role in development during early adolescence.

Young people shape their lives and personalities through dynamic interaction with their environment and through interpersonal relations they accept, reject, or develop new gender norms.

The present study aimed to explore the constructions of gender in a sample of Cypriot adults ages 18 years old and over.

Following a participatory approach, a three-round Delphi methodology was used to invite participants in co-constructing their own language of gender.

Twenty-nine (29) panellists worked together over the course of two months and rated a pool of 104 statements concerning the way gender is described.

They were also given the opportunity to include their own statements and ultimately, identify those that are "not at all important", "important", "somewhat important" and/or "definitely important" about the way we talk about gender.

Preliminary analyses of the results indicate some consensus on statements that promote the belief that an individual has the right to express themselves or identify however they want.

However, there seems to be a range of conflicting opinions when that right is used in official documents or in a medical context.

Overall, this bilingual study provided a platform to a group of people to express their ideas in both English and Greek with the hopes of developing an inclusive model of gender.