What Are The Gender Signals?

Very simply, gender signals are masculine and feminine body movements. As an example, most American men cross their legs with their knees open. When a woman in the United States walks, her pelvis tips forward and up, her arms are held close to her body, and they usually swing from the elbows down.

When men walk, they keep their thighs apart, roll their pelvis back, and swing their arms from the shoulders.

Women tend to close their eyes more slowly than men. The quick blink is considered a masculine signal.

The way we hold our hands at the wrist is related to gender. The limp-wristed gesture is feminine—at least in the United States.

Showing the palm of the hand is also a feminine gesture, usually associated with courting. But like any courting gesture, showing the palm can also be used when sex is not involved. Qualifiers turn off the sexual implication and leave only the “I want to be friends” impact.

The qualifiers that turn off a courting gender signal, that modify or contradict it, can be gestures as simple as twisting a wedding ring. Or the context of the courting gesture can alter its meaning. Watch any woman in politics as she gives a speech; chances are you’ll see her show her palms to “court” the audience in body language.