gender bias tony coloma

Gender BiasGender Biasand Fairnessand Fairness

Tony ColomaMME 201

Gender and SexGender and SexThe 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

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

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)

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

PreferenceSocietySociety

CultureCulture PrivilegesPrivileges

1 writer1 producer

6 writers4 producers

Social MediaSocial Media

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/

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 thetest itself, fairness refers to theways 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)

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.


Gender bias in TeachersGender bias in Teachers


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. )

Teachers call on and interact with boys more than girls (Sadker & Sadker, Teachers call on and interact with boys more than girls (Sadker & Sadker, 1994)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

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.


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

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

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.

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.


gender bias tony coloma

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