Gender Bias Flashcards
What is gender bias?
-the differential treatment or representation of men + women based on stereotypes rather than real differences
What is alpha bias?
-tendency to exaggerate differences between men + women
An example of alpha bias - psychodynamic
-psychodynamic explanations for offending behaviour suggests that criminality occurs due to a deviant superego
-Freud- under no castration anxiety - under less pressure - less of a need to identify with the moral standards of same sex parent
-suggests females are less moral than males
Examples of alpha bias - schizophrenia
- since 1980’s diagnosed more frequently in men
-example of alpha bias - Cotton et al - women are more likely to be able to continue working - show less distress than men
-symptoms of women getting it may be masked or not severe enough to merit a diagnosis
What is beta-bias?
-tendency to ignore differences between men + women
-focuses on similarities
What is androcentrism?
-consequence of beta bias - occurs when all behaviour is compared to a ‘male’ standard
Example of androcentrism - PMS
-PMS criticised as being a social construction - trivialises female emotion
-male anger is seen as a logical response to external pressure
Example of beta bias - research on FoF
-research is usually conducted with male animals - as female hormones would make it more difficult
-assumed that only male samples are needed as what is true for males is true for females
-Taylor - contradiction - females produced a TaB response at times of stress
-adaptive as it ensures the survival of the offspring
What is universality?
-aim to develop theories that apply to all people
-may include real differences
Support - feminist psychology
-difference in psychology arises from biological explanations of behaviour
-there are real differences but socially determined stereotypes have greater impact than perceived differences
-Eagly - women may be less effective leaders than men - bit this knowledge should be used to develop suitable training
Consequences - bias in research methods
-if theories are gender based - research may find differences - but could be the differ in methods used to test or observe
-Rosenthal - male experiments are more encouraging to female P’s = better performance
-fewer senior women in research - concerns are less likely to be reflected in experiments
Support - avoiding beta bias
-beta bias - allowed women greater access to educational opportunities
-however seeking equality - draws attention away from women’s special needs
-ignoring biological demand of pregnancy, childbirth
-suggests some elements of beta bias may disadvantage women
Consequence - challenge assumptions
-gender bias remains unbiased
-Darwin’s theory - women = classy + coy and males = ones who compete to be chosen + agressive
-challenged - women are equally competitive when needed
-DNA - good adaption for women - puts females in competition with other females for mating with men
What is personal reflexivity?
-how a persons values, beliefs and interests influence their research work
