GENDER BIAS

GENDER BIAS

psychologists try to eliminate aspects of bias from research BUT it's an inevitable part of the research process
Alpha bias
1. exaggerates or overestimates differences between the sexes
2. more likely to devalue women
3. e.g. the sociobiological theory of relationship formation - males try to impregnate as many women as possible to ensure survival but women settle with one healthy man
  1. sexual promiscuity in males if genetically determined whereas sexually promiscuous women are 'going against their nature'
4. Beta bias
  1. Ignores or minimises differences between the sexes
    1. usually occurs when women aren't included in research and it's assumed that research findings can apply equally to both sexes
      1. e.g. the fight or flight response - research conducted on male animals and assumed to be applicable to female animals - Shelley Taylor suggested that female animals might befriend other females and form defensive networks with them
Androcentrism
1. possible consequence of beta bias
2. understanding of normal behaviour comes from male research = female behaviour more likely to be judged as abnormal
3. female commentators have objected to the idea of PMS i.e. it's a social construction that allows men to medicalise female emotions - male anger, on the other hand, is often a rational response to external pressures
EVALUATION
1. gender-biased research may create misleading assumptions about female behaviour, fail to challenge negative stereotypes and validate discriminatory practices
  1. i.e. using scientific justification to 'prop up' gender discrimination
  2. gender bias is not only a methodological problem but may have damaging consequences that affect the lives of real women e.g. women twice as likely to be diagnosed with depression than men
2. female concerns aren't reflected in the research questions as more psychologists are men, plus men are more likely to have their research published
  1. female participants + male researcher who has the power to label her unreasonable and irrational
  2. psychology may be guilty of supporting a form of institutional sexism that creates bias in theory and research
3. psychologists use gender bias as a critical part of their research e.g. Dambrin and Lambert, in their study about the lack of women in executive positions, ask women how their gender-related experiences influence their reading of events
  1. reflexivity is important in psychology and may lead to greater awareness of the role of personal biases in shaping future research
4. gender differences are based on an essentialist perspective - gender differences are inevitable and 'fixed in nature'
  1. Walkerdine reports how 'scientific' research in the 1930s revealed that attending uni can shrivel a woman's ovaries and reduce their chances of giving birth
    1. essentialist accounts are based on political perspectives disguised as fact, thus creating a double standard
5. feminist commentators e.g. Worrell put forward criteria that should be adhered to to avoid gender bias
  1. women should be studied in real-life contexts and participate in research - instead of being the subjects of study
    1. diversity between women should be studied instead of comparing women with men

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	Created by Sophie Clark almost 7 years ago