Gender bias

• 1

  • Found differences but may be due to gender bias
• 2(1)

  • Hare-Mustin and Maracek (1988) talked about alpha + beta bias - they affect gender + culture
  • Both make women appear less significant
  • Alpha bias believe there are real + enduring differences
  • E.G - Freud’s theory of oedipus complex describes femininity as failed masculinity + said this is due to absence of a penis (penis envy) + are less moral due to them not developing their superego
• 2(2)

  • Research also consist - Beta bias in that it overlooks or downplays differences
  • E.G - Kohlberg’s theory looked at moral decisions
  • But research used from male POV + still applied to men + women - research is too generalising + undervalues women's perspective
  • Males clearly dominate psychology - both researchers + participants showing a clear gender bias in psych
• 3 - Counter

  • Hormones play significant role in psych, exert influence on various aspects of behaviour
  • In context of stress, men more likely to portray the “fight or flight” response, whilst women are proposed to a “tend and befriend” reaction (Taylor, 2000) - associated with the release of hormones like oxytocin
  • These differences reflect a biological variance rather than a biased interpretation
  • Therefore, gender differences are real and not just a result of bias