Gender bias

Question 1

What is gender bias?

Answer 1

The tendency to favour one gender over another. Often happens when research aims to be universal.

Question 2

Why does gender bias occur?

Answer 2

•Male samples are generalised to females
•Male behaviour is seen as standard
•Biological differences are over simplified

Question 3

Androcentrism

Answer 3

When normal behaviour is judged according to a male standard.
This leads to women’s behaviour to be seen as “abnormal” and thus misunderstood or pathologised.

Question 4

Consequences of androcentrism: Alpha Bias

Answer 4

Is the attempt to exaggerate the differences between the genders
•emphasises the difference
•under values members of either sex
•historically undervalues females

Question 5

Consequences of androcentrism: Beta bias

Answer 5

Is the attempt to downplay the differences between the genders
•Fight or flight response is documented as universal, however research by Lee & Harley (2012) indicates women are more likely to “tend and befriend”

Question 6

Studies which have shown Alpha Bias

Answer 6

•Wilson (1994): majority of bank managers, company directors, judges (etc.) are men because they are biologically more dominant and competitive

Question 7

Studies which have shown Beta Bias

Answer 7

•Milgram (1963): studied obedience in men who were told to give an electric shock to a confederate, 65% went up to 450v. Didn’t include women in the sample yet assumed everyone will obey authority immoral orders

Question 8

Gender Bias: Why does it happen?

Answer 8

Institutional Rascism
•Men predominate at a senior researcher level
-> a male researcher is likely to assume women are irrational & incapable of completing research
•Research agenda follows male concerns while female concerns are marginalised or ignored
->research on gender bias is under-funded therefore less scholars apply it within their work

Question 9

Gender bias: Why is it a problem?

Answer 9

Research shapes societal assumptions about female or male behaviours
•Maccoby & Jacklin (1974): girls have better verbal ability while boys have better spacial ability. This was established as a fact
•We cannot accept all research as facts because it may become labelled as a social steryotype

Question 10

Gender Bias: What can we do about it?

Answer 10

Researchers need to be reflexive and use diverse samples
•Rather than seeing bias as a threat to the objectivity of their research, they should embrace it as crucial to the research process
•Tavris (1993): “it becomes normal for women to feel abnormal”
-> the lives and prospects of women are damaged