Gender and Culture in Psychology
Gender Bias
AO1
Gender bias results when one gender is treated less favourably
than the other, often referred to as sexism and it has a range
of consequences including:
- Scientifically misleading
- Upholding stereotypical assumptions
- Validating sex discrimination
Avoiding gender bias does not mean pretending that men and
women are the same.
There are three main types of gender bias:
- Alpha bias - this occurs when the differences between men
and women are exaggerated. Therefore, stereotypically male
and female characteristics may be emphasised.
- Beta bias -this occurs when the differences between men and
women are minimised. This often happens when findings
obtained from men are applied to women without additional
validation.
- Androcentrism - taking male thinking/behaviour as normal,
regarding female thinking/behaviour as deviant, inferior,
abnormal, ‘other’ when it is different.
AO3
Positive Consequences of Gender Bias
Alpha Bias:
• Has led to some theorists (Gilligan) to assert the worth and
valuation ‘feminine qualities’.
• Has led to healthy criticism of cultural values that praise
certain ‘male’ qualities such as aggression and individualism as
desirable, adaptive and universal.
Beta Bias:
• Makes people see men and women as the same, which has
Gender Bias
AO1
Gender bias results when one gender is treated less favourably
than the other, often referred to as sexism and it has a range
of consequences including:
- Scientifically misleading
- Upholding stereotypical assumptions
- Validating sex discrimination
Avoiding gender bias does not mean pretending that men and
women are the same.
There are three main types of gender bias:
- Alpha bias - this occurs when the differences between men
and women are exaggerated. Therefore, stereotypically male
and female characteristics may be emphasised.
- Beta bias -this occurs when the differences between men and
women are minimised. This often happens when findings
obtained from men are applied to women without additional
validation.
- Androcentrism - taking male thinking/behaviour as normal,
regarding female thinking/behaviour as deviant, inferior,
abnormal, ‘other’ when it is different.
AO3
Positive Consequences of Gender Bias
Alpha Bias:
• Has led to some theorists (Gilligan) to assert the worth and
valuation ‘feminine qualities’.
• Has led to healthy criticism of cultural values that praise
certain ‘male’ qualities such as aggression and individualism as
desirable, adaptive and universal.
Beta Bias:
• Makes people see men and women as the same, which has
