Topic 5 Module 6: Gender Stereotypes and Bias

• Etymology: the word “stereotype” comes from the union of two Greek terms: stereos- (rigid) and typos- (impression).

Stereotype = a rigid and hyper-generalised belief concerning a particular group or class of people

• Stereotypes are a way in which we simplify our social world. They reduce the amount of processing (i.e. thinking) we have to do when we meet a new person.

• Stereotypes, in fact, are formed for a very specific reason: to help human beings orient themselves in a world full of complexity and nuances. If each of us were forced to analyse every aspect of our day, our daily life would become a very tiring, if not impossible, task. This explains why this cognitive process has evolved as it allows simplification.

What is a bias?

• It’s a subjective way of thinking that tells only one side of a story, sometimes leading to inaccurate information or a false impression.

A bias might be:

• Intentional or unintentional,

• Hard to identify in ourselves because it is unconscious, we do not recognise it when we see it.

Is it always bad?

• Not always, most of our judgments depend on elements that are frugal and ones that ignore part of the information. This ignorance can actually be helpful, especially when one needs to make immediate judgments in the face of an abundance of data.

When are biases wrong?

• When they are based on negative stereotypes, attitudes and prejudices. For example, in regard to gender, ethnicity, cultural background and any attitudes and prejudices that undermine the representative features of a group.

Specific gender implicit biases affect many dimensions of the male/female distinctions:

• 1.Psychological features

• 2.Social role features

• 3.Physical features

Examples of these specific gender implicity biases can be found described in Module 6.

• There are three types of microaggressions that can happen automatically or without the person being aware of the origins and consequences of their prejudice.

1. Microassault -Purposeful discriminatory comments intended to demean.

2. Microinsult – Rude or insensitive comments that a group may hear frequently.

3. Microinvalidation -Comments that negate or nullify people of a group’s experiences of prejudice or discrimination.

• More information on each of these microaggressions in Module 6.

• There can be a detrimental impact of gender microaggressions on those who experience it:

• Negative impact on the standard of living

• Negative impact on physical health

• Negative impact on psychological health

• Overcoming gender microaggressions is very important and includes:

• Individual intervention

• Organisational intervention

• Societal / cultural intervention

• Types of Gender microaggressions

• Sexual objectification

• Second-class citizenship

• Use of sexist language

• Assumption of inferiority

• Restrictive gender roles

• Denial of the reality of sexism

• Denial of individual sexism

• Invisibility

• Sexist humor/jokes

• Environmental invalidations: macro level aggressions that happen on systemic and environmental level (unequal pay; glass ceiling; media images)