I didn't realise how much gendering I was using in my writing until the current WIP. Which involves a three-gendered with pretty much gender parity - while one is egg-bearing and the other two are not, there are no vulnerable/protective/etc traits associated with genders. And yet, I found myself very often reaching for a 'typical female' or 'typical male' reaction _even when those reactions are completely inappropriate for the character_. And in an ordinary novel with male and female characters, a female being uncertain or feeling close to tears, or a male character acting agressive wouldn't feel out of place at all, but it was an eyeopener to me, and a sign that I need to check the rest of my writing for this tendency - am I reaching for the nearest stereotyped reaction?