Sep 25, 2012

Gender bias in science: It's real

A simple study on gender bias discussed here:

Whenever the subject of women in science comes up, there are people fiercely committed to the idea that sexism does not exist. They will point to everything and anything else to explain differences while becoming angry and condescending if you even suggest that discrimination could be a factor. But these people are wrong. This data shows they are wrong. And if you encounter them, you can now use this study to inform them they’re wrong. You can say that a study found that absolutely all other factors held equal, females are discriminated against in science. Sexism exists. It’s real.

The results are not that surprising, e.g., that both females and males are biased against females in science or that most of this bias is unconscious, i.e., scientists used rational reasons to explain why they wouldn't hire a woman.

I like the author's suggestion though: there are definitely people out there who find this situation disturbing, so it's important to disseminate this information and hopefully something changes.

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