Gender Bias in Psychology
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Gender Bias in Psychology
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Gender Bias in Psychology
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Gender Bias in Psychology
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Gender Bias in Psychology
Questions
1. Define Bias.
2. What is Gender Stereotypes
3. OUTLINE feminist psychology.
4. What is Androcentric bias?
5. Explain Alpha Bias.
6. Describe Beta Bias.
7.
8.
State the four differences identified by Maccoby and Jacklin in Gender stereotypes.
What method is there to reduce gender bias?
9. How can bias be reported?
10. State some problems with gender bias in the developing world.
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Gender Bias in Psychology
Answers
1. The definition of Bias:
Bias is simply each person's unique predisposition of how to see the world. It is our own prejudice in thinking when we are
confronted with new events.
Source: http://www.conservative-resources.com/definition-of-bias.html
2. Though not as strongly as in earlier years, the portrayal of both men and women on TV is largely traditional and
stereotypical. This serves to promote a polarization of gender roles. With femininity are associated traits such as emotionality,
prudence, co-operation, a communal sense, and compliance. Masculinity tends to be associated with such traits as rationality,
efficiency, competition, individualism and ruthlessness.
Meehan has shown how on TV, 'good' women are presented as submissive, sensitive and domesticated; 'bad' women are
rebellious, independent and selfish. The 'dream-girl' stereotype is gentle, demure, sensitive, submissive, non-competitive, sweetnatured and dependent. The male hero tends to be physically strong, aggressive, assertive, takes the initiative, is independent,
competitive and ambitious. TV and film heroes represent goodness, power, control, confidence, competence and success. They are
geared, in other words, to succeed in a competitive economic system. There is no shortage of aggressive male role-models in
Westerns, war films and so on. Many boys try to emulate such characteristics through action and aggression.
There are few women in the heroic role played by Sigourney Weaver in Aliens. Men tend to be shown as more dominant, more
violent and more powerful than women. Men on TV are more likely to disparage women than vice versa. They drive, drink and
smoke more, do athletic things, and make more plans. They are found more in the world of things than in relationships. Women on
TV tend to be younger than the men, typically under 30.
So TV images largely reflect traditional patriarchal notions of gender. Stereotypical masculinity, for instance, is portrayed as
natural, normal and universal, but it is fact a particular construction. It is largely a white, middle-class heterosexual masculinity.
This is masculinity within which any suggestion of feminine qualities or homosexuality is denied, and outside which women are
subordinated. The notion of 'natural' sex differences help to preserve the inequalities on which our economic system continues to
be based.
Source: http://www.aber.ac.uk/media/Modules/TF33120/gendertv.html
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Gender Bias in Psychology
3. Feminist psychology grew out of the influence of the women’s movement of the late 1960’s. It originated as a backlash
against the traditional assumptions of male dominated theory, research and practices, especially in psychoanalytic theory. Freud’s
theories, such as “penis-envy” and hysteria, which were gender-biased and based on developmental studies of men, were
particularly distasteful to supporters of the feminist movement. The feminist psychology movement was a grassroots one, and
therefore, no one particular theorist can be named as primarily responsible for its development.
In addition to criticism of traditionally accepted psychological theories and practices that were harmful to women, the early
proponents of feminist psychology examined mental health standards based on gender, the labeling of women as mentally ill for
political reasons, (punishing women for not adhering to expected roles), the womanless state of psychology and its development
(including women being shut out and women’s work being underreported), and reporting women’s experiences from a woman’s
perspective.
Three distinct phases of development for feminist psychology have emerged, beginning in the 1970’s. The first phase was
characterized by borrowing therapeutic techniques that fit into the feminist philosophy, with the goal to “empower all women by
strengthening individual women.” The second phase is marked by the inclusion of feminism into more psychological theories. In
order to not, metaphorically throw the baby out with the bath water, feminists attempted to keep the parts of psychological theories
that were sensible and that worked, but tried to eliminate the sexist elements that were present. The final and ongoing phase
consists of trying to develop a complete theory that explains the common experiences of women and their difficulties arising from
living in a society where they are devalued. Such a theory would also integrate the impact of social oppression based on ethnicity,
race and culture.
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Lenore Walker indicates that there are six tenets of feminist-therapy theory:
- Egalitarian Relationships: This equal relationship between client and therapist models for women personal responsibility and
assertiveness in other relationships.
- Power: Women are taught to gain and use power in relationships, and the possible consequences of their actions.
- Enhancement of women’s strengths: So much of traditional therapy focused on a woman’s shortcomings and weaknesses that
feminist therapists teach women to look for their own strengths and use them effectively.
- Non-pathology-oriented and non-victim blaming: In this framework, the medical model is rejected and women’s problems are seen
coping mechanisms and viewed in their social context.
- Education: Women are taught to recognize their cognitions that are detrimental, and encouraged to educate themselves as to the
plight of all women.
- Acceptance and Validation of Feelings: Feminist therapists value self-disclosure and attempt to remove the barrier of traditional
therapeutic relationships.
Source: http://www.webrenovators.com/psych/FeministPsychology.htm
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4. Androcentric :
Is the practice, conscious or otherwise, of placing male human beings or the masculine point of view at the center of one's
view of the world and its culture and history. The related adjective is '''androcentric'''.
The term androcentrism has been introduced as an analytic concept by Charlotte Perkins Gilman in the scientific debate.
Perkins Gilman gave a profound description of androcentric practises in society and the resulting problems in her
investigation on The Man-Made World; or, Our Androcentric Culture, published in 1911. Thus androcentrism can be
understood as a Society|societal fixation on masculinity. According to Perkins Gilman masculine patterns of life and masculine
mindsets claim Universality (philosophy)/universality while female ones are considered as deviance.
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Androcentric_bias
5. Alpha Bias: This is the tendency to exaggerate differences. This type of bias tends to promote gender stereotypes.
6. Beta Bias: This is the tendency to ignore gender differences. Basically the opposite of Alpha Bias.
7. The FOUR differences identified are:

Girls have better verbal ability than boys.

Boys have greater visual and spatial abilities than girls.

Boys have greater arithmetical abilities (Difference only seen in adolescence)

Girls are less aggressive than boys.
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Gender Bias in Psychology
8. A well known method to reduce gender bias is called Equal opportunity. This is becoming more and more popular a great
example for this is that up until a few years ago the women finalist in the World Tennis tournaments did not win the same
amount as money as the male finalist. But it can be seen in everyday life such as jobs. Equality is becoming more and more
important and is eliminating the gender bias levels slowly.
9. There are two common ways in which Bias can be reported:

Through interpretation of results

And selection of material
10. Problems with Gender Bias in developing countries:

Preference of Males over females

Economic, political and legal policies lower the status of women

In some countries women face educational inequities
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