Gender Bias

1. Gender BiasGender Bias
and Fairnessand Fairness
Tony Coloma
MME 201

2. Gender and SexGender and Sex
The word gender has been used since the 14th century as a
grammatical term, referring to classes of noun designated
as masculine, feminine, or neuter in some languages. The sense
‘the state of being male or female’ has also been used since the
14th century, but this did not become common until the mid
20th century. Although the words gender and sex both have the
sense ‘the state of being male or female’, they are typically used
in slightly different ways: sex tends to refer to biological
differences, while gender refers to cultural or social ones.
Oxford Dictionaries. Retrieved from http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/gender

3. A person’s sex refers to the biological aspects of an
individual’s body relative to reproduction, while gender
refers to the social constructions that express for an
individual what it means to be masculine or feminine within
a given society. In other words, sex is what we’re born with,
and gender is what we learn.
Fairness at a Source, p.14. Retrieved from
http://www.josanders.com/pdf/Fairness_122702.pdf

4. How is gender constructed?How is gender constructed?
InfancyInfancy
• Many studies have established that, from the moment infants are identified
as female or male, the development of a gendered identity begins as they
experience familial, societal, and cultural interactions (Golombok & Fivush,
1994; Lindsey, 1997)

5. Starting at birth, girls are rewarded for being polite, behaving well,
and looking pretty, while boys are reinforced for their
accomplishments, their assertiveness, and winning
(Schau & Tittle, 1985;Vogel, Lake, Evans & Karraker, 1991)
SocietySociety

6. PreferenceSocietySociety

7. CultureCulture PrivilegesPrivileges

8. 1 writer
1 producer
6 writers
4 producers
Social MediaSocial Media

9. SchoolSchool
QUESTION:
How do you treat your students in the
classroom? (in terms of gender inequity)
Classroom SettingClassroom Setting
• Diverse
• Different learning
issues
Teachers may be ignoring their
unconscious gender biases
towards their students, their
schools and themselves
Retrieved from http://www.education.com/reference/article/gender-bias-in-teaching/

10. Gender bias is when there is a difference made between students
in the classroom according to the gender of the student
Bias in Testing:
A test is biased if men and
women with the same ability
levels tend to obtain different
scores. The conditions under
which a test is administered, the
wording of individual items, and
even a student's attitude toward
the test will affect test results.
Fairness in Testing:
While bias is a characteristic of the
test itself, fairness refers to the
ways test results are used.
Even an unbiased test may be
used in ways that give an
advantage to members of one
gender (a testing policy may treat
test results differently for men and
women)

11. Gender bias in TeachersGender bias in Teachers
Teachers view male students' domination of the classroom and their
time as typical masculine behavior.
Boys are perceived as having natural talent in science
If girls attempted to answer more difficult questions than boys and
faltered, teachers often repeated the question and asked that another
student, typically a boy, provide the answer. However, if a boy failed to
answer correctly, teachers reframed the question or broke it into a
series of simpler questions that could help the student find the answer.
Retrieved from http://www.education.com/reference/article/gender-bias-in-teaching/

12. Gender bias in TeachersGender bias in Teachers
Retrieved from http://www.education.com/reference/article/gender-bias-in-teaching/
Teachers' gender bias towards students can also extend to their response
to students who challenge their authority. Such risk-taking behavior in
boys is expected and at times praised, but assertiveness in girls is viewed
negatively and labeled unfeminine. Similarly, boys who do not exhibit
stereotypic masculine behaviors may be ridiculed (Renold, 2006).
Teachers use gender expectations as a means of maintaining
classroom control (teachers will seat undisciplined boys next to girls as
a classroom management strategy. )

14. Teachers call on and interact with boys more than girls (Sadker &Teachers call on and interact with boys more than girls (Sadker &
Sadker, 1994)Sadker, 1994)
In one area females usually receive more attention than boys–physical
appearance. Girls receive compliments more often than boys on their
clothing, hairstyle and overall appearance (Sadker & Sadker, 1994)
ClassroomClassroom

15. EFFECTS OF GENDER BIAS
Girls will tend to believe that any success they have is
due to hard work rather than any innate talent or
intelligence.
Retrieved from http://www.education.com/reference/article/gender-bias-in-teaching/
Boys may be encouraged to believe that success in
science and mathematics should come easily to them
because of their gender
teachers have lower expectations for girls' academic
success compared to boys

16. Test publishers go to great lengths to make sure that
the questions contained in their tests are not biased
and that the recommended uses of the tests are not
likely to be unfair to members of one gender.
DETECTING GENDER BIAS IN TESTINGDETECTING GENDER BIAS IN TESTING

17. Test questions may be checked for:
material or references that may be offensive to members of one gender,
references to objects and ideas that are likely to be more familiar to men
or to women (construction, setting, language, idea or interest portrayed,
picture/diagram used, relevance, illustrations, and administration give
an undue advantage or disadvantage to a particular group of testees
over the other group).
unequal representation of men and women as actors in test items or
representation of members of each gender only in stereotyped roles.

18. REDUCING GENDER BIAS
Which students do they frequently interact with?
Are target students evident in their classroom? If so, how does the teacher
deal with those students?
What questioning techniques does the teacher use to engage students?
Does the teacher ask complicated questions to girls as well as boys?
Does the teacher use a variety of pedagogical and assessment practices?
Which students are engaged with the curriculum?
Teachers can reduce and challenge gender bias through an examination of
their pedagogical practices and by posing simple questions about their
practices.
Retrieved from http://www.education.com/reference/article/gender-bias-in-teaching/