Gender-Restricted Ability: Difference between revisions

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* ''[[Parallel Trouble Adventure Dual|Dual! Parallel Trouble Adventure's]]'' giant robots can only be driven by female pilots, with one exception.

** [[Justified Trope|Justified]] {{spoiler|Which is because the race that made them put them in gender lock for females only. . . except for the fact that the male pilot also is a male mech. It also restricted certain functions in the mechs as well.}}

* ~~Partial subversion~~ in ''[[Claymore]]''. Claymores are all women not because men can't be given the same yoma-infusion, but because it's a bad idea; women are statistically less likely to go insane and become Awakened Beings than the men given the same treatment (which is not to say it doesn't happen).

* Downplayed in ''[[Claymore]]''. Claymores are all women not because men can't be given the same yoma-infusion, but because it's a bad idea; women are statistically less likely to go insane and become Awakened Beings than the men given the same treatment (which is not to say it doesn't happen).

** The explanation given was that women have [[Women Are Wiser|better self-control]] over their temper than men, so they're less likely to be goaded into accidentally going over their limits. Also, the process of going over one's limits and awakening, while excruciating, is also orgasmic. Men have less restraint in their sexuality, so they're less likely to pull back from awakening, unlike women, since [[All Women Are Prudes]].

** Well, it's been explained that releasing simply causes pain for women.

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* Averted on the [[Discworld]], at least in the areas where most stories featuring wizards and witches take place. Wizardry and witchcraft are separate forms of magic which are mostly gender divided, but this is a social not biological split related to prejudices on both sides of the fence. Exceptions do exist, such as the early mention of wizards in Krull not caring much either way. [[Word of God|Terry Pratchet's opinion]], at least referenced in a narrative aside, is [[Mother Nature, Father Science|wizardry being systematic was more suited to men while witchcraft being initiative/emotional was more suited to women]]. Interestingly, despite her initial reservations, Granny Weatherwax is eventually convinced that Eskarina's mindset ''is'' wizard-like and that trying to shape it into witchcraft simply because she's female is a bad idea.

** ''[[Discworld/Unseen Academicals|Unseen Academicals]]'' indicates that things are progressing: there is at least one female on the faculty of Unseen University, but most members of the faculty simply don't understand the concept and assume she's male. Even when told outright that she used to have a husband. And is a woman. In the same book, we finally get to see what happened to Eskarina, and it rather reinforces the gender divide - she's left the university and seems to be performing much more witch-like magic.

* ~~Partly subverted~~ in Kelley Armstrong's ''[[The Otherworld|Otherworld]]''. Witches are female, sorcerers are male. They can use each other's magic, but not as well as the proper users can. Witch magic generally relies on incantations or healing brews, while sorcerer magic uses gestures. Witch and sorcerer genes are sex-linked and supposedly incompatible with each other, requiring them to breed with mundanes. However, there are hints in ''Dime Store Magic'' and ''Industrial Magic'' that witches and sorcerers may be more alike than they think, particularly the revelation that neophyte witch Savannah Levine is the daughter of a witch and a sorcerer, supposedly impossible. It is also pointed out that social stigma prevents sorcerers and witches from having sex together.

* Downplayed in Kelley Armstrong's ''[[The Otherworld|Otherworld]]''. Witches are female, sorcerers are male. They can use each other's magic, but not as well as the proper users can. Witch magic generally relies on incantations or healing brews, while sorcerer magic uses gestures. Witch and sorcerer genes are sex-linked and supposedly incompatible with each other, requiring them to breed with mundanes. However, there are hints in ''Dime Store Magic'' and ''Industrial Magic'' that witches and sorcerers may be more alike than they think, particularly the revelation that neophyte witch Savannah Levine is the daughter of a witch and a sorcerer, supposedly impossible. It is also pointed out that social stigma prevents sorcerers and witches from having sex together.

** ''Industrial Magic'' suggested that sorcerer magic and witch magic are branches of the same school. Witches only know the first level of their magic, as they eschew the second level spells (such as curing hiccups) as useless. Unfortunately for the witches, learning the second level spells is the only way to unlock the upper tier spells (contained in the witches' own [[Great Big Book of Everything]], but dismissed as unworkable). Most supernaturals dismiss witch magic as weak and useless, as both witches and sorcerers believe that the basic tier of witch spells is all there is.

* [[Andre Norton]]'s ''[[Witch World]]'' has female [[Virgin Power|virgin]] witches. They are shocked when Simon Tregarth, a man from another world, has the same powers. (And more shocked when a witch marries him and keeps her powers.)