Implicit Bias

An implicit bias can happen on the unconscious level. There are many factors in life that are predetermined and can set a boundary for bias to occur. Gender and occupations are the main areas in which I see implicit biases. Many high end or powerful companies are often run by men and women are usually working underneath them. This stems from the society believing that men should take a science route and women more of a liberal arts pathway. The gender-science IAT, tests for implicit biases and shows how the unconscious mind categorizes gender between science and liberal arts. The results that I received from the gender-science IAT was that I had a strong automatic association for male with science and women with liberal arts (Greenwald, Banaji,

Throughout my schooling, I was always enrolled in the science based courses and dreaded going to any English or history class. “Although most children still associate science with men, these associations may have weakened over time at least in the United States” (Miller, Eagly, & Linn, 2015). I think this is why I was shocked with my results because in my time I had outside influences that pushed me towards the science based course work. The authors continue to state that society is seeing more women enroll into STEM programs and obtaining more occupations that is science based. For example, recently I went to the doctors for a visit and being aware of the gender differences that we have discussed in class, I noticed that most of the doctors in the primary care department were women, but when it came time for me to be referred to a surgeon there were only men doctors to choose from. I found this to be very interesting because even though the women were at a high level, there were still men who obtained higher

The influence of parents and teachers also has a major impact on the implicit biases of gender-science stereotypes. “Children’s math attitudes form as a result of environmental influences, especially those that occur in interactions with parents and teachers and the expectations for children’s success in math are biased by their own gender stereotypes” (Gunderson, Ramirez, Levine, & Beilock, 2012). This shows that a child’s primary influences can alter the way that male or female perceives science based information according to the way in which they are being taught. Having implicit biases are disturbing and being that we may think one way, the unconscious mind can control our conscious values, making for these stereotypes (Rosenblum, K.E., & Travis, T-M.C.,