GENDER BIAS AO3

Question 1

4 ao3 prompts

Answer 1

1 - socially sensitive/implications for the real-world (Tavris)
2 - sexism within research process (Nicolson)
3 + reflexivity (Dambrin and Lambert)
4 - essentialism (Walkerdine)

Question 2

socially sensitive

Answer 2

findings as a result of research that may be gender bias can be socially sensitive and have major implications for the real-world. gender-biased research may create misleading assumptions about female behaviour and validate discrimination eg with alpha bias it may deny women certain roles as they are to be nurturing to their offspring (Wilson and sociobiological theory) or eg with beta bias and the diagnosis of PMS! (trivialises female experience and emotions) which BOTH can lessen their opportunities within the workplace as there is ‘scientific justification’
- normal for women to feel abnormal! (Tavris)

Question 3

sexism within research process

Answer 3

lack of women in senior research positions mean female concerns not reflected in research questions asked. male researchers more likely to have their work published and studies which find evidence of gender difference are more likely to be published than those which don’t (alpha bias)
ALSO, lab exp. may disadvantage women since inequitable relationship with usually male researcher and so can label performance however they want whether that be poor/irrational/unable to complete complex tasks/emotional etc (Nicolson)

Question 4

reflexivity

Answer 4

many modern researchers are beginning to recognise effect their own values and assumptions have on nature of their work so rather seeing bias as a problem, embrace as crucial part of research process eg dambrin and lambert study of lack of women in executive positions in accountancy firms include reflection of how gender related experiences influence reading of events
SO important as more awareness of personal bias in research

Question 5

essentialism

Answer 5

many gender differences reported by psychologists over the years are based on an essentialist perspective - that gender difference in question is inevitable and fixed in nature - walkerdine reports how in the 1930s, ‘scientific’ research revealed how intellectual activity such as attending uni would shrivel a woman’s ovaries and harm her chances of giving birth. essentialist accounts are often politically motivated arguments disguised as apparent facts which often creates a double-standard in the way that the same behaviour is viewed from a male and female perspective

Question 6

essay plan ao3

Answer 6

1. real world implications - ‘scientific’ justification of mistreatment in workplace/society. Carol Tavris ‘it becomes normal for women to feel abnormal’. reflected in depression diagnosis!
2. sexism within research process - lack of women within! male research and gender difference research more likely! & lab experiments may disadvantage women as inequitable relationship, interp how please - Nicolson.
3. reflexivity - rather than see as problem, helpful! eg Dambrin and Lambert lack of women in executive positions in accountancy firms, recognise own position
4. essentialism - what is this position? Walkerdine reports on 1930s scientific research to reinforce political arguments