Gender Bias

• Psychologists seek universality but bias may be inevitable. 


  Psychologists possess beliefs and values influenced by the social and historical context within which they live.This may undermine psychologists' claims to discover facts about human behaviour that are objective, value-free and consistent across time and culture (universality).
• Alpha bias exaggerates differences 


  Differences between the sexes are usually presented as real, enduring, fixed and inevitable.

  These differences occasionally heighten the value of women but are more likely to devalue females in relation to males.
• The sociobiological theory of relationship formation


  Wilson explained human sexual attraction through 'survival efficiency' - it is in a male's best interests to try and impregnate as many females as possible to increase the chances of his genes being passed on to the next generation.

  The female's best chance to preserve her genes is to ensure the survival of the relatively few offspring she may produce.
• Sexual promiscuity


  In males it is naturally selected and genetically determined but females who engage in the same behaviour are seen as going against their 'nature' - an exaggeration of the difference between the sexes (alpha bias).
• Beta bias minimises differences


  Ignoring or underestimating differences between men and women often occurs when female participants are not included in the research process and it is assumed that research finding apply equally to both sexes.
• An example of beta bias is the fight or flight response. 


  Early research into fight or flight was based exclusively on male animals. The fight or flight response was assumed to be a universal response to a threatening situation.

  Taylor suggests that female biology has evolved to inhibit the fight or flight response, shifting attention towards caring for offspring and forming defensive networks with other females. They experience a tend and befriend response governed by the hormone oxytocin.
• One consequence of beta bias is androcentrism.


  If our understanding of 'normal' behaviour comes from research involving all-male samples, then any behaviour that deviates from this standard is judged as 'abnormal' or 'inferior'.

  This leads to female behaviour being misunderstood and even pathologised.

  For example, many femenists object to the category of PMS as it medicalises female emotions by explaining these in hormonal terms. But male anger is often seen as a rational response to external pressures (Brescoll and Uhlman).
• One limitation is problems of gender bias in psychological research.

  Gender-bised research may create misleading assumptions about female behaviour and validate discriminatory practices. It may provide a scientific justification to deny women opportunities within the workplace or in wider society (e.g. due to PMS). Gender bias in research is not just a methodological problem but may have damaging consequences which affect the lives and prospects of real women.
• Another limitation is that gender bias promotes sexism in the research process. 


  A lack of women at senior research level means female concerns may not be reflected in research questions asked. Male researchers are more likely to have work published. Also, female participants in lab studies are in an inequitable relationship with a (usually male) researcher who has the power to label them irrational and unable to complete complex tasks. This means psychology may be guilty of supporting a form of institutional sexism that creates bias in theory and research.
• One strength is that an understanding of gener bias leads to reflexivity.


  Researchers recognise the effect of their values on their work (reflexivity). They embrace bias as an important aspect of the research process rather than see it as a problem threatening the objective status of their work. In their study of the lack of women in executive positions in accountancy firms, Dambrin and Lambert include reflection on how their gender-related experiences influence their understanding of events.