# Operationalizing Perceptions of Agent Gender: Foundations and Guidelines

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2603.26682 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2603.26682/

## Key facts

- No citing papers in the map yet (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- Placed in Social simulation and multi-agent debate, one of 16 directions in LLM agents and tool use.
- Builds on 13 of its 176 references that are in the map.
- First posted on arXiv 10 Mar 2026.

## Placed in

- LLM agents and tool use / [Social simulation and multi-agent debate](https://mlsanity.com/agents/social-simulation-and-multi-agent-debate/)

## Builds on (most cited first, 13 of 13)

- [Harms of Gender Exclusivity and Challenges in Non-Binary Representation in Language Technologies](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2108.12084/) (2021)
- [Nonverbal Cues in Human-Robot Interaction: A Communication Studies Perspective](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2304.11293/) (2023)
- [What Pronouns for Pepper? A Critical Review of Gender/ing in Research](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2212.04206/) (2022)
- [Not Only WEIRD but "Uncanny"? A Systematic Review of Diversity in Human-Robot Interaction Research](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2304.08750/) (2023)
- [Using Design Metaphors to Understand User Expectations of Socially Interactive Robot Embodiments](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2201.10671/) (2022)
- [Silver-Tongued and Sundry: Exploring Intersectional Pronouns with ChatGPT](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2405.08238/) (2024)
- [Neither "Hear" Nor "Their": Interrogating Gender Neutrality in Robots](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2205.00183/) (2022)
- [Exploring Gender-Expansive Categorization Options for Robots](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2205.00191/) (2022)
- [Robot's Gendering Trouble: A Scoping Review of Gendering Humanoid Robots and its Effects on HRI](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2207.01130/) (2022)
- [Transcending the "Male Code": Implicit Masculine Biases in NLP Contexts](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2304.12810/) (2023)
- [Can Voice Assistants Sound Cute? Towards a Model of Kawaii Vocalics](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2304.12809/) (2023)
- [Social Identity in Human-Agent Interaction: A Primer](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2508.16609/) (2025)
- [Inter(sectional) Alia(s): Ambiguity in Voice Agent Identity via Intersectional Japanese Self-Referents](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2506.01998/) (2025)

## Abstract (arXiv)

The "gender" of intelligent agents, virtual characters, social robots, and other agentic machines has emerged as a fundamental topic in studies of people's interactions with computers. Perceptions of agent gender can help explain user attitudes and behaviours -- from preferences to toxicity to stereotyping -- across a variety of systems and contexts of use. Yet, standards in capturing perceptions of agent gender do not exist. A scoping review was conducted to clarify how agent gender has been operationalized -- labelled, defined, and measured -- as a perceptual variable. One-third of studies manipulated but did not measure agent gender. Norms in operationalizations remain obscure, limiting comprehension of results, congruity in measurement, and comparability for meta-analyses. The dominance of the gender binary model and latent anthropocentrism have placed arbitrary limits on knowledge generation and reified the status quo. We contribute a systematically-developed and theory-driven meta-level framework that offers operational clarity and practical guidance for greater rigour and inclusivity.