# The Gender Genie: how the hell is this supposed to work? Does it work on you? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 30, 2009, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-gender-genie-how-the-hell-is-this-supposed-to-work-does-it-work-on-you/491322 "2009-03-30T16:04:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2009, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-gender-genie-how-the-hell-is-this-supposed-to-work-does-it-work-on-you/491322/1 "2009-03-30T16:04:45Z")
I refer, of course, to [this](http://bookblog.net/gender/genie.php)piece of flapdoodle alleged to distinguish between male and female writers based on, I supposed, their auras. Just for yuks, I’ve submitted four pieces from four different works of mine–two non-fiction & two fiction–and each time it has declared me female. Anybody know anything about this or have any experience with it you wish to share? ---
**Author:** ![Terrifel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c68b51/32.png) [@Terrifel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terrifel)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2009, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-gender-genie-how-the-hell-is-this-supposed-to-work-does-it-work-on-you/491322/2 "2009-03-30T16:15:53Z")
I know one thing about it (not from experience fortunately, but from reading piles and piles of short fantasy fiction): Never give a genie an open invitation to determine any aspect of your identity. What the hell were you thinking, asking the “Gender Genie” whether you’re male or female? Just accept it: you’re a girl. ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2009, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-gender-genie-how-the-hell-is-this-supposed-to-work-does-it-work-on-you/491322/3 "2009-03-30T16:16:09Z")
I’ve heard that it detects what sort of underwear one is wearing. Boxers and it says male, but panties and… _peers at Skald_ ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2009, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-gender-genie-how-the-hell-is-this-supposed-to-work-does-it-work-on-you/491322/4 "2009-03-30T16:18:41Z")
> [@Sage\_Rat](#): > > I’ve heard that it detects what sort of underwear one is wearing. Boxers and it says male, but panties and… > > _peers at Skald_ I didn’t have to put up with crap like this when I had satellite-mounted change-all-humans-into-orangutans cannons pointed at everybody. ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2009, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-gender-genie-how-the-hell-is-this-supposed-to-work-does-it-work-on-you/491322/5 "2009-03-30T16:28:37Z")
Well, that was useless. Four pieces submitted. All fiction. Two came back as “male”, two came back as “female”. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2009, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-gender-genie-how-the-hell-is-this-supposed-to-work-does-it-work-on-you/491322/6 "2009-03-30T16:29:03Z")
I picked a few random pieces of nonfiction freelance jobs: 3/4 were adjudged male. (The one that said female was the shortest, under 300 words.) I also ran two emails; one to a potential suitor (female – phew!) and the other to a former lover who’s now a pal (male). So, I’m 2/3 male, more so professionally. Pretty doggone scientific, sez I. ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2009, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-gender-genie-how-the-hell-is-this-supposed-to-work-does-it-work-on-you/491322/7 "2009-03-30T16:31:16Z")
> [@Anaamika](#): > > Well, that was useless. Four pieces submitted. All fiction. Two came back as “male”, two came back as “female”. Of course it was useless. Look who started the thread: the most useless wanker in all of Christendom! ---
**Author:** ![Terrifel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c68b51/32.png) [@Terrifel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terrifel)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2009, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-gender-genie-how-the-hell-is-this-supposed-to-work-does-it-work-on-you/491322/8 "2009-03-30T16:33:53Z")
> [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > I didn’t have to put up with crap like this when I had satellite-mounted change-all-humans-into-orangutans cannons pointed at everybody. Damn, the Genie pronounces you female even when you’re talking about satellite-mounted orangutan cannons. Do you actually have any evidence that you were ever a guy? ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2009, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-gender-genie-how-the-hell-is-this-supposed-to-work-does-it-work-on-you/491322/9 "2009-03-30T16:39:11Z")
A little bit more seriously, there was a thread about a thing like this way back (not the Gender Genie, but similar software.) I put in dialog from my male and female characters and they came back male and female. So that actually made me quite happy, even if it was probably false positives. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2009, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-gender-genie-how-the-hell-is-this-supposed-to-work-does-it-work-on-you/491322/10 "2009-03-30T16:40:51Z")
I like to lift big weights with my big he-man muscles. Then I like to sweat like a pig and scarf down a bucket of ribs before letting out a huge honkin’ fart. You know, the kind of fart that lasts three minutes and makes the dog leave the room. Then I like to boink a few Hooters girls before heading out to play golf with the dudes. Then we head off to the bar to do some shots and hit on chicks. Later on, we’ll take a tour of some construction sites and boast about how we could build whatever it is even better. Female Score: 144 Male Score: 91 The Gender Genie thinks the author of this passage is: female! ---
**Author:** ![JR\_Brown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d6d6ee/32.png) [@JR\_Brown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JR_Brown)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2009, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-gender-genie-how-the-hell-is-this-supposed-to-work-does-it-work-on-you/491322/11 "2009-03-30T16:44:23Z")
It thinks I’m a guy 3 times out of 4. Apparently, the algorithm counts up instances of words associated with male versus female writers. What surprised me was **what** the words in question were: Male words (strongest to weakest): around, what, more, are, as, who, below, is, these, the, a, at, it, many, said, above, to. Female words (ditto): with, if, not, where, be, when, your, her, we, should, she, and, me, myself, hers, was. ---
**Author:** ![JR\_Brown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d6d6ee/32.png) [@JR\_Brown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JR_Brown)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2009, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-gender-genie-how-the-hell-is-this-supposed-to-work-does-it-work-on-you/491322/12 "2009-03-30T16:46:52Z")
> [@tdn](#): > > I like to lift big weights with my big he-man muscles. Then I like to sweat like a pig and scarf down a bucket of ribs before letting out a huge honkin’ fart. You know, the kind of fart that lasts three minutes and makes the dog leave the room. Then I like to boink a few Hooters girls before heading out to play golf with the dudes. Then we head off to the bar to do some shots and hit on chicks. Later on, we’ll take a tour of some construction sites and boast about how we could build whatever it is even better. > > Female Score: 144 > Male Score: 91 > > The Gender Genie thinks the author of this passage is: female! Lots of “we” and “with” and “and”. Men talk about “who” and “it” and “to”. Supposedly. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2009, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-gender-genie-how-the-hell-is-this-supposed-to-work-does-it-work-on-you/491322/13 "2009-03-30T16:49:00Z")
> [@JR\_Brown](#): > > Lots of “we” and “with” and “and”. Men talk about “who” and “it” and “to”. Supposedly. OK, I admit it. I really enjoy spending time with the guys. The Hooters girls are just a front. ---
**Author:** ![Sigmagirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c89c15/32.png) [@Sigmagirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigmagirl)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2009, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-gender-genie-how-the-hell-is-this-supposed-to-work-does-it-work-on-you/491322/14 "2009-03-30T17:05:46Z")
I submitted a column that I wrote in yesterday’s paper: Female Score: 70 Male Score: 171 The Gender Genie thinks the author of this passage is: male! Oops. Well, it was a sports column! Dumb genie. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2009, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-gender-genie-how-the-hell-is-this-supposed-to-work-does-it-work-on-you/491322/15 "2009-03-30T17:06:52Z")
I got a 50/29 score against my gender so I’m off to look for a purse so I have something to swing at the creator of the program. ---
**Author:** ![Silver\_Tyger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/fbc32d/32.png) [@Silver\_Tyger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silver_Tyger)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2009, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-gender-genie-how-the-hell-is-this-supposed-to-work-does-it-work-on-you/491322/16 "2009-03-30T17:32:04Z")
Female, 1691 to 1551 Female, 5873 to 5854 Male, 1912 to 2055 Male, 856 to 1045 Male, 1855 to 2297 Male, 1258 to 1365 Apparently my blog entries are all female and most of my fiction is male. Odd. ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2009, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-gender-genie-how-the-hell-is-this-supposed-to-work-does-it-work-on-you/491322/17 "2009-03-30T17:33:55Z")
It correctly identified me as female. I only did one sample. It looks like it’s doing it entirely by word choice. From the list (of words I used): Feminine Keywords: [with] [if] [not] [where] [be] [when] [your] [her] [we] [should] [she] [and] [me] [myself] [hers] [was] Masculine Keywords: [around] [what] [more] [are] [as] [who] [below] [is] [these] [the] [a] [at] [it] [many] [said] [above] [to] So us girls get the feminine pronouns and the W prepositions (contextual perpositions?), and the guys get the articles and positional prepositions. How can anyone be labeled female if using ‘the’ or ‘a’ is masculine? ---
**Author:** ![Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/malleus_incus_stapes/32/3293_2.png) [@Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malleus_Incus_Stapes)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2009, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-gender-genie-how-the-hell-is-this-supposed-to-work-does-it-work-on-you/491322/18 "2009-03-30T22:23:47Z")
I submitted five samples of my writing. Each was then declared to be male. :smack::smack::smack: What do I have to do, wear high heels and lipstick"? ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2009, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-gender-genie-how-the-hell-is-this-supposed-to-work-does-it-work-on-you/491322/19 "2009-03-30T23:22:18Z")
I don’t have any writing samples that are large enough - it says it works best with samples over 500. I took a few of my posts here and 3 out of 4 times it decided that I am a woman. (I am male.) ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2009, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-gender-genie-how-the-hell-is-this-supposed-to-work-does-it-work-on-you/491322/20 "2009-03-31T00:29:53Z")
I did a couple of my blog entries, and it declared me female. Which I am, as you can probably tell from the slit. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-gender-genie-how-the-hell-is-this-supposed-to-work-does-it-work-on-you/491322.md?page=2)