Anonymity and gender...

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I'm curious. What leads to your assumption of an anonymous' gender, specifically online? Does male serve as a default for an unknown?

Without any gender specific clues in posts it is difficult; I've sometimes made the mistake of using the wrong pronouns when referring to someone based on wrong assumptions, usually based on their avatar. Frequently it is too much trouble to click on a person's profile to check their gender before posting.

Sometimes I'm waaaaaaaay wrong. One member on here that I'd assumed was around 40 years old male was actually 20 and female!

Really? It's just one click...

I've been wrong before too, though. Avatars and the way people write can tell quite a bit about who you percieve them to be.

One of the things I like about the Internet is being ageless, genderless,ethnically and religiously neutral...just being people. When assumption is made regarding any of the above, do you think it is due to pre-existing ideas of how a woman or a Democrat or a Brit thinks or responds? Sylkat

It can be difficult to tell someone's sex online, especially on a site like this one where so many people defy gender stereotypes. Many a time I have assumed that someone was male/female on this site and was proven wrong when I looked at their profile. It has also gone the other way around - before I became widely recognized on here, many people thought I was male.

On the Internet, no one can tell that I'm actually a 3-year old female autistic genius with the vocabulary of a college graduate and the libido of a day-old biscuit.

I'm actually a cat walking across a keyboard. If I happen to write legible sentences on it while doing so, that's a bonus.

No mistaking your gender based on your avatar!! !

Well, someone sees my avatar and think I'm on a cone shaped rocket headed to space

I thought you were male because your username is TallyMan. Although I do think of "Hey mister tallyman, tally me bananas" when I see it, but you have the old man as your avatar, so I thought you were male.

Frances

Profile says male.

I generally assume male, and have been surprised a lot when I check people's profiles, but usernames and avatars play a major role. Do I appear any more more masculine than anyone else here?

It doesn't matter too much to me. I'm just often thought to be a guy on here, and I was wondering what I did to present myself as such.

And yes, it's hard to tell online. Especially here. Most Aspies are gender-neutral.

You have a male video game character as an avatar.

I prefer that gender is hard to detect here unless the person has an avatar that's obviously related to their gender or they have a gender specific name.

I thought you were a girl from the start.

It's kind of impossible to guess my gender wrong, because my username gives it away.

I have been mistaken for a male a few times times aswell and that's just the times I know about, so I don't know how many others also think I am!
I too felt curious to know why they thought that. Some have also thought I was younger than I am.

Anyway to return to your original question I don't think I automatically presume someone is male, I think unless it's obvious from what they have written then I will often look at their profile to see. As others have said the avatar can also give an certain impression.
I think it's an interesting subject because it raises all sorts of questions about gender stereotypes....