gender bias

• alpha bias

  • alpha bias - exaggerates or overestimates differences between the sexes
  • are presented as real and enduring
  • more likely to devalue females in relation to their male counterparts
  • e.g sociobiological theory - explains human sexual attraction by survival efficiency where males interest to impregnate as many women as possible to pass his genes on
  • says that sexual promiscuity is males is genetically determined
• beta bias

  • ignores or minimises differences between the sexes
  • occurs when females ps are not included in research but findings are assumed to both sexes
  • e.g flight or flight response was only studied on males but assumed to females aswell
• androcentrism

  • consequence of beta bias
  • understanding of normal behaviour comes from male-focused research and anything that deviates from this is seen as unusual
  • female behaviour is misunderstood
• weakness

  • creates misleading assumptions about female behaviour
  • fails to challenge negative stereotypes and validates discriminatory views
  • becomes normal for women to feel abnormal
  • has damaging consequences
  • women are twice as likely to be diagnosed with depression than men
• weakness

  • lack of women at senior research roles so female concerns are not reflected in research questions asked
  • males are more likely to have their work published
  • lab experiments also place female ps in an inequitable relationship with male researchers who has to power to label them unreasonable
  • institutional sexism
• strength

  • reflexivity
  • starting to embrace the bias as a critical aspect of the research process
  • important development as may lead to greater awareness of gender bias