Causation, correlation and the thing between your legs.

The thing between your legs…

Whenever I post something that even remotely touches on gender and roles, there will always be at least one comment about how we should get rid of gender stereotypes in Tango and how it would be better if dance roles were not linked to gender at all. One of the most popular arguments is:
“You cannot let what you have between your legs define the role you dance.”

In principle, I agree. But the way this argument is sometimes interpreted doesn’t quite make sense to me. It’s often taken to mean that your dance should be independent from your gender entirely, that you should be dancing either role, and your gender should have nothing to do with it.

That might sound similar at first, but it’s not. To explain why, we need to take a small detour into the thrilling world of research methodology. Yes, buckle up! It’s time for… (cue drum roll)

Causation vs Correlation!

Causation vs Correlation

In medical research, some studies find correlations between A and B, while others try to prove causation. Causation means that when thing A happens, it leads to thing B happening, reliably and with a statistically significant probability. For example, smoking causes lung cancer. That took years of research to prove, not because the link wasn’t there, but because we had to rule out all the other possibilities. Maybe smokers were exposed to other toxins. Maybe smoking correlates with stress levels, which have their own effects. You get the idea.

Correlation, on the other hand, just means that A and B often occur together. But we don’t know if A causes B, or B causes A, or if C is messing with both of them behind the scenes. For example, people with limited social lives have a higher risk of Alzheimer’s. But does isolation cause cognitive decline? Or do early cognitive changes lead people to withdraw socially? Or is there a third factor? The jury’s still out.

Okay, detour over. Now let’s come back to…

Sex, Gender, and Roles

First things first: the thing between our legs defines our biological sex, not our gender. Gender is shaped by a complex mix of identity, social context, culture, and expression. This is not the place to unpack all of that (and I’m no expert), but the key idea is: sex doesn’t strictly cause gender. There’s often a correlation, but not a perfect one. Some people’s gender aligns with their sex. Some others doesn’t. That’s real, and that matters.

Now, what about Tango roles? Is there causation between gender and role? In traditional Tango thinking, yes. You were a man, you led. You were a woman, you followed. End of story. That was treated as causation.

In modern Tango, we’ve managed, thankfully, to break much of that causal link. Today, your gender does not dictate your role. You are allowed to choose, to explore, to lead, to follow, or both. This is progress.

But… here comes the uncomfortable bit… there’s still a correlation. Men are more likely to lead. Women are more likely to follow. That’s not a rule anymore. But it’s a pattern.

What is the real problem?

Many people will say that society still presents and pressures men to take up the leader role and women to be the follower. Many will support that tradition oppresses and pushes us into one or the other role. Maybe so. But before we end up with an answer, let’s have a small thought experiment.

Imagine Tango in 50 years.

Everyone is taught both roles, and then they are free to experiment, try and pick which one they like to dance more. Some will end up dancing both roles equally, and some might end up dancing one of them primarily. What if, in that imaginary scenario where tradition, societal pressure, and all the other potential reasons are abolished, we still see a correlation? What if still more men will choose the leader role and more women the follower?

Would that correlation still be a problem? Would acknowledging that correlation still be frowned upon? Will my posts in 50 years (wishful thinking) still get comments about why I connect the leader role with men? If everyone is really free to choose and dance in the role they like, but still most men dance as leaders and most women as followers… Is acknowledging the fact a crime? And why?

Now, come back to today. How far are we from this future scenario? Do we force people to dance on a role based on their gender? Do we judge or frown upon people if they dance the opposite gender role? Do we not teach both roles? Yes.. maybe we do in some cases… but how much of a pressure and oppression is that today? Is it still so hard to go against it as it was 90 years ago? Are we closer to the future scenario or to the past one?

Personally, I believe we are much closer to the future scenario than the past one, but then again, I might be biased. But still, the correlation exists, and it may persist in the future even though we got rid of all the reasons that lead to it.

And I am asking… is this correlation a bad thing? Should we remove this, too?

Tonight’s Goodnight Tango

Tonight’s Goodnight Tango comes from Tita Merello and is an iconic expression of this rebellion against stereotypes.

So what about you? Where do you think we stand between the imaginary scenario and the past? Do you think a persisting correlation will still be a problem in the future?

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