Articulation of /s/ has been linked with gender identity, such that women exhibit fronter /s/ than men. While previous research has focused on White speakers, it remains unclear if the same gendered patterns exist among African-American (AA) speakers. Examining gender-balanced samples of non-urban AA Bakersfieldians and urban AA Rochesterians, we examine the social effects on /s/ frontness. Statistical analyses reveal no gender difference in /s/ articulation among Bakersfield AAs, with men being just as fronted as women. However, a gender pattern exists among Rochester AAs, with women being significantly more fronted than men. Given the history of racial tensions in Bakersfield, it is possible that Bakersfield AA men avoid using a feature ideologically linked to countryness among White speakers in the region (Podesva & Van Hofwegen 2016). But in Rochester, a gender difference is likely driven by salient urban personae like the Hood Kid and the Mobile Black Professional.
