Physics has historically been portrayed as a field for brilliant men. Many previous studies have focused on the reasons for women's underrepresentation in physics from various perspectives and strategies to improve the learning environment so that all students can excel in physics courses. In this talk, I will discuss my studies on how students' perceived recognition from others impacts their learning and influences their persistence in physics. These studies suggest that without explicit efforts to appropriately recognize students as individuals who can excel in physics, gender gaps in physics self-efficacy and academic performance are likely to persist. Finally, I will discuss the potential of using a non-binary gender measure to further investigate students' perceptions of the learning environment.