Gender bias

• What is gender bias?

  Different treatment for men and women based on stereotypes
• What is androcentrism?


  Research is centered around males
• What is alpha bias?

  Exaggerating the difference between men and women
• What is an example of alpha bias in gender?

  Freud views femininity as failed masculinity
• What is beta bias?

  Minimising the differences between men and women
• What is an example of beta bias in gender?

  Taylor - fight or flight (tend and befriend)
• What does alpha bias cause?

  Misdiagnosis of mental illness

  Sustains prejudices
• What is a study that shows alpha bias?

  Loring and Powell (1988) - men are more likely to be diagnosed with schizophrenia. Women are more likely to be diagnosed with depression
• What do beta biases cause?

  Reduction in external validity of conclusions
• What is a study that shows the implications of beta bias?


  Kilham and Mann (1974) - replicated Milgram’s study and found 16% of women obeyed compared of 65% of men
• How do we deal with gender bias?


  Relexivity

  The feminist perspective
• What is reflexivity?


  Accepting there are biases about gender
• What is the feminist perspective?

  Feminists acknowledge biological differences but argue socially determined stereotypes make a greater contribution to perceived differences
• What are some positives of alpha bias?

  Leads to healthy criticisms of cultural values that praise certain male qualities such as aggression
• What are some positives of beta bias?

  Leads to equal treatment in legal terms