Gender Bias - AO3 Flashcards
1
Q
What are the strengths of gender bias?
A
- understanding gender bias has caused femenist psychology to emerge which aims to counter androcentrism
- beta bias in law has given women with more equal treatment to men, thus providing them with more access to educational and occupational oppotunity that may not have previously been availly able due to prejudice
2
Q
What is a counter argument to the benefits of beta gender bias?
A
- according to Mjustin and Marecek that it can draw attention away from the special needs of women
- additionally neutral action against people that hold more power (men) just benefits those people
an example of this would be that equal parental leave ignores the biological demands of pregnancy and thus disadvantages women
3
Q
How does feminist psychology combat androcentism?
A
- it considered the facts of gender and by doing so highlight the value of women and provide them with the sources they need
- for example Cornwall et al found that women are better at learning as they are more attentive and organised
- and Eagly found that women may be less effective leaders than men, which is used to promote the developement of suitable training programmes to allow women the oppotunity to lead in the future
4
Q
What are the weaknesses of gender bias?
A
- it can have negative impact on society
- gender bias may not be important as they are overlooked in theories that are still important today for example Darwin’s theory of sexual selection which presents women as choosy and men as the ones who compete but according to DNA evidence women are also shown to compete
5
Q
How can gender bias have a negative impact on society?
A
- it’s based around essentialism (the idea that gender is fixed by nature)
- this is shown in the 1930s where scientists suggested that increasing women’s knowlege decreased their ovary size and therefore could effect their fertility
- this should not be accepted as it’s primarily a politically motivated
