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Gender Equality pp 1–11Cite as

Emotions, Rationality, and Gender

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Part of the book series: Encyclopedia of the UN Sustainable Development Goals ((ENUNSDG))

Definitions

Emotions, like feelings, moods, and temperaments, are a type of affect. Emotions are relatively short affective states that represent various aspects of the world. Rationality is an attribute of a person. A rational person displays excellence in some distinctive way. Individual states and events like beliefs and actions are rational insofar as having them strengthens the person’s rationality. Emotions and rationality are often treated as contradictory with rationality as superior to emotions. Emotions are often associated with women and rationality with men. Emotions, however, are essential to overall rationality for all people. And, a person is emotionally rational when the person excels in the exercising of their emotional capacities. Moreover, both emotions and rationality are important for all people, regardless of gender identity.

Introduction

Society systemically values that which is rational over that which is emotional and associates the former with men and the...

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. St Andrews Institute for Gender Studies, Arché Philosophical Research Centre, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, Scotland, UK

    Alison Duncan Kerr

Authors
  1. Alison Duncan Kerr
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Correspondence to Alison Duncan Kerr .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. European School of Sustainability, Hamburg University of Applied Sciences, Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany

    Walter Leal Filho

  2. Center for Neuroscience & Cell Biology, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal

    Anabela Marisa Azul

  3. Faculty of Engineering and Architecture, Passo Fundo University Faculty of Engineering and Architecture, Passo Fundo, Brazil

    Luciana Brandli

  4. HAW Hamburg, Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany

    Amanda Lange Salvia

  5. International Centre for Thriving, University of Chester, Chester, UK

    Tony Wall

Section Editor information

  1. University Of Chester, Chester, United Kingdom

    Tamara Hunt

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Kerr, A.D. (2020). Emotions, Rationality, and Gender. In: Leal Filho, W., Azul, A., Brandli, L., Lange Salvia, A., Wall, T. (eds) Gender Equality. Encyclopedia of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-70060-1_106-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-70060-1_106-1

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-70060-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-70060-1

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