Gender Bias Flashcards
What is meant by gender bias?
The differential treatment or representation of men and women based on stereotypes rather than real difference.
What is meant by alpha bias?
A tendency to exaggerate differences between men and women, suggesting
that there are real and enduring differences between the two sexes. The consequences are that theories devalue one gender in comparison to the other, but typically devalue
women.
What is an example of alpha bias?
Historically, since the 1980s, schizophrenia has been diagnosed more in men compared to women, whereas before this time there had been no significant differences.
What is meant by androcentrism?
The consequence of beta bias and occurs when all behaviour is compared according to a ‘male’ standard, often to the neglect or exclusion of women.
What is meant by beta bias?
A tendency to ignore or minimise differences between men and women. Such theories tend to ignore questions about the lives of women, or insights derived from
studies of men will apply equally well to women.
What is an example of beta bias?
Early research conducted into the fight or flight response exclusively used male lab mice because they experience fewer hormonal fluctuations and so changes in
adrenaline, due to environmental stressors, could be more reliably measured. However, results from these studies were then generalised to females, ignoring differences between the two sexes (e.g. speed and extent of the fight or flight response).
What is meant by Universality?
The idea that there are behaviours that occur in men and women as a result of the same explanation e.g the knee jerk reaction
Strengths of Gender Bias
Feminist psychology argues that difference psychology arises from
biological explanations of behaviour. Feminist psychology argues that there are real differences but socially determined stereotypes make a far greater contribution to perceived differences. Androcentrism can be countered by a feminist view and the balance can be readdressed. For example, Eagly (1978) acknowledged that women may be
less effective leaders than men but this knowledge should be used to develop suitable training programmes and therefore create a future with more women leaders.
Beta bias has allowed women greater access to educational and
occupational opportunities. However Hare, Mustin and Marecek pointed out that arguing
for equality draws attention away from women’s special needs, for example equal parenting ignores the biological demands of pregnancy, childbirth and the special needs of women. Therefore, this suggests that some elements of beta bias may actually
disadvantage women.
Gender exists everywhere and therefore is difficult to objectively ignore, however is something most researchers give due recognition to. Recognising this ensures appropriate generalisations are made about external validity
Limitations of gender bias?
The laboratory experiment may also be an example of institutionalised sexism within
psychology = Male researchers have the authority to deem women as “unreasonable, irrational and unable to complete complex tasks” (Nicolson, 1995). Eagly and Johnson
noted that studies in real settings found women and men were judged as more similar in
styles of leadership than in lab settings, hence having higher ecological validity.
Bias in research methods = If theories and studies are gender biased, the research may
find differences between genders but it may not be the genders that differ but simply the methods used to test or observe them. For example, Rosenthal (1966) found that male experimenters are more pleasant and encouraging to female participants and subsequently they perform better in tasks/male participants appeared to perform less well. Secondly, fewer women being appointed at senior research positions means that female concerns are less likely to be reflected in the experimental questions.
