RESEARCH | GENDER BIASES | SCIENCE FACULTY
Applying To Become a Science Teacher? You Might Want to Reconsider!
Breaking down the study by Moss-Racusin and colleagues in easy words.
Authorities are trying to give women equal opportunities in many areas, including science. But various studies have shown that women are often under shadowed.
To understand and reduce the gap between men and women in science, it is important to know if a gender bias exists in the science faculty.
Having found no experimental studies, Moss-Racusin and colleagues conducted the study, “Science faculty’s subtle gender biases favor male students.”
This study aims to discover whether the science faculty favors male students over female ones. It is a note-worthy issue because if these gender biases exist, they may further encourage inequality.
What prompted this study?
Studies have shown that there is little to no difference in the natural abilities of men and women to contribute to science. Then why does gender bias exists? In an effort to answer this question, various experiments have been conducted on women’s lifestyle choices.
Many women prefer to work in non-science environments such as childcare, beauty, etc. This has led some experts to believe that gender biases do not exist in science.
But because these studies are parallel to choices, the question about gender inequality in science still persists. The researchers are not suggesting that science faculty holds females back on purpose.
But instead, their preexisting beliefs about women being less competent may be the culprit. In any case, evaluating how likely science faculty is to prefer men over women is essential.
The Focus Group for This Study
Moss realized that previous studies on this topic needed to have the appropriate audience. They were conducted on undergraduate students rather than experienced professionals from the science faculty.
People think that science faculty may not be subject to these gender biases as they undergo extensive training to be objective. But on the other hand, studies have shown that people who prioritize being impartial are likelier to become victims of gender biases.
The researchers believe that students who have completed their studies but have yet to graduate would be appropriate for this study. This is because they are developing their beliefs about their own abilities and whether they want to continue in STEM.
The Study Used to Assess Gender Biases in Science Faculty
The researchers used a validated instrument called “the Modern Sexism Scale” to study faculty members’ subtle bias against female students. They asked faculty members to evaluate the employability, mentoring, and competence of identical male and female students apart from their gender.
Then they collected and analyzed the faculty members’ responses to see if their preexisting beliefs about female competence interfered with their decision-making.
The researchers hypothesized that because we live in a culture where females are thought to be less competent, the faculty members had this idea as well.
They also assessed the salary offers given to the students and if the students were deemed deserving of mentoring.
The Researchers’ Hypotheses
Moss-Racusin et al. guessed that:
- There would be a gender bias in how the science faculty viewed and treated male and female students.
- Both male and female faculty members will show this bias.
- The bias would be because faculty members deem females less competent than males.
- The faculty members will not hire female students because of their preexisting beliefs about gender biases against women. But these beliefs will not affect their decision about the male students.
Science Faculty’s Subtle Gender Biases Favor Male Students
After examining the faculty members’ responses, the researchers were able to conclude that their first hypothesis was confirmed.
Faculty members favored male applications more than female ones. They also offered lower starting salaries to female students.
They also offered less mentoring to female students as compared to male students. This clearly shows that the teachers found females to be less competent.
The faculty’s Gender Did Not Influence the Bias
The results of this experiment also supported the second hypothesis. Male and female faculty both deemed female applicants as less competent. One would think that the female faculty would favor females, but this didn’t seem true.
Additionally, female teachers did not offer more mentoring to female students. The biased results were consistent regardless of the faculty members’ genders.
Females Are Considered to be Less Competent
Until this point, the researchers only analyzed the faculty members’ responses. But for the result of the third hypothesis, they decided to test the applicants’ competence.
The students were tested, and it was revealed that female students were just as capable as male students. Then why were they not hired?
This suggests that society’s perception that females are less competent played a considerable role here. Due to this perception, the faculty members did not hire female students. Even if they did hire them, they offered significantly lesser starting salaries.
Preexisting Beliefs Influence Gender Biases in Science
Lastly, the scientists tested the faculty members preexisting beliefs about gender biases with the help of moderation analysis.
The level of preexisting beliefs affected the faculty members’ hiring decisions. Members with more grasp of this belief thought female students less competent and offered them lesser salaries and mentoring.
Additionally, these subtle biases did not affect their hiring decision for the male students. Their preexisting bias against women made them more inclined to accept male applicants and offer them more salary and mentoring.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the experiment conducted in this study and the results it bore clearly show that despite the efforts, gender biases in science continue to be a problem.
These biases may discourage female students from continuing in STEM, resulting in even more gender disparity in science. To overcome this problem, it first needs to be accepted that this bias in science exists.
Then there is a need to train the faculty members to be objective in their decisions. They also need to work on their preexisting beliefs. Society needs to realize that females are just as capable as men.
