Reduce Gender Bias Research Articles

The Value of Work: The Gendered Outcomes of Organizational Wage Reforms

ABSTRACT This study explores the influence of organizational practices on gender in/equality in a unique setting: the reformed Israeli kibbutz. The transition of the kibbutz from all members receiving an allowance to waged labor provides an opportunity to explore the impact of wage determination systems on gender pay inequality. The study uses a mixed-method approach: descriptive statistics of administrative data, in-depth interviews, and a focus group with kibbutz management. The findings demonstrate that a “market-based logic,” embedded with gendered preconceptions of “women’s work,” can seep into an organization through a shift in the wage determination system, and increase gender inequality. The findings also highlight the lack of organizational awareness about the gendered consequences of this shift, or even their uncritical acceptance of the “value hierarchy” as ordained by the market. The study thus supports the theory positing gender as a hidden but integral aspect of reward systems in contemporary labor markets. HIGHLIGHTS The choice of a wage determination system is critical for gender inequality. “Women’s work” is valued higher by analytical job evaluation systems, which reduce gender biases. Market-based wage determinations introduce biases and increase organizational gender inequality. Management prefers market-based wage determinations due to competition and costs. The “free market” not only obscures gender hierarchies but also legitimizes them.

Exploring Gender Disparity in Chinese Children’s Literature: The Impact of Authorship and Narrative Elements

ABSTRACT Gender representation in children’s books may influence young children’s formation of the gender-equity concept. Previous studies show a male protagonist overrepresentation in US children’s books. This study analyzed 956 Chinese children’s books to investigate if similar patterns of gender representation exist. Research Findings: Binomial logistic regression showed significant male overrepresentation as a function of three variables of interest (author gender, character type, and genre) and interactions of all variables in Chinese children’s books, suggesting the presence of cross-cultural male-character overrepresentation. Male protagonists are more prevalent in books written by male authors. Significant interaction terms also show that preschool-aged Chinese children are more exposed to male characters in fiction, while infants/toddlers encounter male overrepresentation in nonfiction and stories with non-human central characters. In original Chinese stories, male overrepresentation is found in fiction featuring non-human protagonists and in nonfiction featuring human protagonists. Practice or Policy: To reduce gender bias in children’s literature, authors can consciously increase the number of female characters when creating children’s literature. Young girls can be encouraged to work as media creators, for example, book writers, to contribute to the parity in gender representation in books.

Navigating Gender Disparities on the Management of Chronic Disease: a Narrative Review

Chronic diseases globally expose significant gender disparities in management and outcomes. Women often experience delays and inadequate treatment due to biological, psychosocial, and systemic biases, compounded by societal norms hindering self-care and health-seeking behaviours. Similarly, the LGBTQIA+ community faces discrimination and lacks culturally competent healthcare. This review addresses these issues collectively, aiming to uncover root causes and propose strategies for equitable healthcare outcomes. A literature review (2016-2024) using PubMed, Google Scholar, and Wiley Online identified peer-reviewed studies on gender, health determinants, and chronic diseases, focusing on socioeconomic, biological, and psychological factors. Socio-ecological models and culturally sensitive healthcare strategies are crucial for enhancing treatment adherence and reducing gender bias. Community-level interventions and policy changes are essential for equitable healthcare access. Integrating gender-inclusive practices into medical education is pivotal to achieving global health goals by 2030.

Gender barriers to career growth and support programs for women managers

In the modern world, where equality and justice are the key principles of social development, the issue of gender equality in the workplace is becoming particularly relevant. This article analyzes the gender barriers that women face in the process of career growth and examines effective support programs aimed at strengthening their positions in leadership roles. Purpose of the research – analyze gender barriers to leadership positions and evaluate the eff ectiveness of support programs for women leaders. Methodology – use of such methods of analysis as comparison, collation, systematization and statistical analysis. Originality / value – manifested in an integrated approach to the problem of gender inequality in career growth, which takes into account both structural and institutional, as well as individual and socio-cultural aspects. Findings – consist in the formulation of specifi c strategies and recommendations for organizations and government agencies to eliminate gender barriers in career growth. This includes the development of effective mentoring and sponsorship programs, the creation of educational and training programs, as well as the introduction of changes in corporate culture to reduce gender bias and stereotypes. The recommendations presented in the article can be used to shape gender equality policies and create a more equitable and inclusive work environment in various organizations and industries.

A collective action approach to improving attitudes and self-efficacy towards gender equality among male STEM academics

Despite the implementation of equality interventions within higher education, progress towards gender parity in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) remains slow. Male educators often exhibit poorer engagement with diversity initiatives, potentially contributing to persisting gender disparities in STEM given men’s longstanding dominance in these programs. Two experiments investigate how equality interventions should be designed to maximize support from male educators. Experiment 1 (N = 72; Mage = 39.72, SDage = 12.33) used virtual reality to manipulate 2 factors among male academics: (1) exposure to gender inequality and (2) virtually taking the perspective of a female scientist. Using self-report and behavioral measures, viewing an empirical presentation outlining the prevalence of gender issues in STEM yielded the greatest support for equality initiatives following successful perspective-taking. Experiment 2 (N = 120; Mage = 32.48, SDage = 10.36) varied two additional factors among male academics: (1) evidence-based methods to reduce gender biases in STEM (i.e., promoting self-efficacy) and (2) blaming male academics for gender inequalities. Promoting self-efficacy and blaming men for disparities led to greater confidence in male academics’ ability to address gender inequalities in their field. Notably, higher self-efficacy accounted for greater support for equality initiatives and internal motives to engage with diversity programs. Findings provide an empirical framework and high-tech training tools for promoting engagement with diversity initiatives among male educators, informing development of interventions within higher education to improve student and faculty experiences in STEM.

The effectiveness of a brief video-based intervention in reducing gender bias in Korea.

Gender bias deepens gender disparities by fueling gender conflicts. Thus, effective interventions for gender bias are necessary. Understanding gender discrimination experienced by another gender, both emotionally and logically, may contribute to reducing gender bias in Korean society. Hence, we conducted an online experiment using Video Interventions for Diversity in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (VIDS) to examine the effectiveness of shortened VIDS intervention through perspective taking in reducing gender bias. A sample of Korean adults aged 19-39 (n = 160, 61.8% women, 38.2% men) were recruited. In the treatment group, male participants watched VIDS videos that portrayed a woman getting gender prejudiced and female participants watched VIDS videos showing a man receiving gender biased treatment in the society. The videos presented to treatment group consisted of one narrative and one expert video from VIDS, which stimulate emotional and logical understanding of the another gender, respectively. Participants in the control group watched a control video that was irrelevant to gender bias. All participants then answered gender bias questionnaire, as well as cultural orientation questionnaire. Cultural orientation as a covariance, ANCOVA (Analysis of Covariance) revealed participants in the treatment group showed significantly lower gender bias than the control group. Within the treatment group, a moderation analysis showed that logical thinking moderated the relationship between emotional immersion and decreased gender bias, meaning stimulated logical thinking from watching the videos affected how engaging emotionally to the another gender's situation lowers gender bias. Our findings suggest that VIDS, a video-based gender bias intervention tool, can still be effective when edited briefly. Furthermore, one's perspective-taking strategy can be considered when trying to decrease gender bias through videos that promote perspective-taking. The findings highlight the possibility of utilizing short video intervention that enhances perspective taking on decreasing gender bias.

The AI Act, gender equality and non-discrimination: what role for the AI office?

This article assesses whether the Artificial Intelligence Act sufficiently addresses issues of gender equality and non-discrimination law. To this end, the substantive provisions of the AI Act are analysed through the lens of gender equality and non-discrimination law, highlighting the proposed tools of fundamental rights impact assessments and bias audits to reduce gender biases and discriminatory risk. Furthermore, the role of the AI Office and its cooperation with national, European, and international bodies for gender equality enforcement are discussed and positioned within the global landscape of AI regulation.

Hierarchical Clustering Applied to Chronic Pain Drawings Identifies Undiagnosed Fibromyalgia: Implications for Busy Clinical Practice

Currently-used assessments for fibromyalgia require clinicians to suspect a fibromyalgia diagnosis, a process susceptible to unintentional bias. Automated assessments of standard patient-reported outcomes (PROs) could be used to prompt formal assessments, potentially reducing bias. We sought to determine whether hierarchical clustering of patient-reported pain distribution on digital body map drawings predicted fibromyalgia diagnosis. Using an observational cohort from the University of Pittsburgh’s Patient Outcomes Repository for Treatment registry, which contains PROs and electronic medical record data from 21,423 patients (March 17, 2016–June 25, 2019) presenting to pain management clinics, we tested the hypothesis that hierarchical clustering subgroup was associated with fibromyalgia diagnosis, as determined by ICD-10 code. Logistic regression revealed a significant relationship between the body map cluster subgroup and fibromyalgia diagnosis. The cluster subgroup with the most body areas selected was the most likely to receive a diagnosis of fibromyalgia when controlling for age, gender, anxiety, and depression. Despite this, more than two-thirds of patients in this cluster lacked a clinical fibromyalgia diagnosis. In an exploratory analysis to better understand this apparent underdiagnosis, we developed and applied proxies of fibromyalgia diagnostic criteria. We found that proxy diagnoses were more common than ICD-10 diagnoses, which may be due to less frequent clinical fibromyalgia diagnosis in men. Overall, we find evidence of fibromyalgia underdiagnosis, likely due to gender bias. Coupling PROs that take seconds to complete, such as a digital pain body map, with machine learning is a promising strategy to reduce bias in fibromyalgia diagnosis and improve patient outcomes. PerspectiveThis investigation applies hierarchical clustering to patient-reported, digital pain body maps, finding an association between body map responses and clinical fibromyalgia diagnosis. Rapid, computer-assisted interpretation of pain body maps would be clinically useful in prompting more detailed assessments for fibromyalgia, potentially reducing gender bias.

Reducing gender bias in the evaluation and selection of future leaders: The role of decision-makers' mindsets about the universality of leadership potential.

Extensive research has documented organizational decision-makers' preference for men over women when they evaluate and select candidates for leadership positions. We conceptualize a novel construct-mindsets about the universality of leadership potential-that can help reduce this bias. People can believe either that only some individuals have high leadership potential (i.e., a nonuniversal mindset) or that most individuals have high leadership potential (i.e., a universal mindset). Five studies investigated the relationship between these mindsets and decision-makers' gender biases in leader evaluation and selection decisions. The more senior government officials in China held a universal mindset, the less they showed gender bias when rating their subordinates' leadership capability (Study 1). Working adults in the United Kingdom who held a more universal mindset exhibited less gender bias when evaluating and selecting job candidates for a leadership position (Study 2). In an experiment, Singaporean students exposed to a universal mindset exhibited less gender bias when evaluating and selecting candidates than those exposed to a nonuniversal mindset (Study 3). Another experiment with working adults in China replicated this pattern and added a control condition to confirm the directionality of the effect (Study 4). Last, Study 5 showed that a more universal mindset was associated with less gender bias particularly among decision-makers with stronger gender stereotypes in the domain of leadership. This research demonstrates that, although they are seemingly unrelated to gender, mindsets about the universality of leadership potential can influence the extent to which people express gender bias in the leadership context. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

“Exploring police officers’ perceptions of their female colleagues in Uttar Pradesh, India: a phenomenological analysis”

ABSTRACT This study aimed to explore Indian police officers’ perceptions of their female colleagues through Bourdieu and Chan’s framework of habitus, practice, field, and capital. We interviewed 12 police officers in Allahabad, India, who were recruited through purposive and snowball sampling. We translated, transcribed and coded their interviews from Hindi to English. Applying Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis, we identified two major themes: (1) the work of women is consistently devalued in policing culture; and (2) patriarchal sentiments influence police officers’ views towards their female colleagues. This study expands our understanding of the prevalent gender bias against female police officers in India. Findings may assist in redesigning policies and interventions that reduce gender bias and discrimination within Indian police organisations.

CREATING A LEVEL PLAYING FIELD: ADDRESSING GENDER BIAS IN UNDERGRADUATE MEDICAL STUDENT ASSESSMENTS

Objectives: To identify the mechanisms to reduce gender bias during assessments in undergraduate medical education. Material and Methods: A qualitative study with a phenomenological study design was conducted at a Public and Private Med- ical College in Peshawar, Pakistan, from July 2020 to October 2020. In this qualitative study, four gender-specific focal group interviews with undergraduate medical students and 10 individual interviews with senior faculty members were conducted by using a pre-tested & validated semi-structured interview guide. The interviews were recorded and transcribed verbatim. The thematic analysis of the data was done where codes were developed and organized into distinct categories giving rise to discrete themes. Data triangulation was done to increase the credibility and authenticity of the study. Results: Out of 24 students and 10 faculty members, half of the participants were females who shared their perceptions about mechanisms to counteract gender bias in medical education. The analysis revealed 24 codes that were labeled and organized into 10 categories. The 4 themes deducted from these categories were Anti-Bias Training, Surveillance of Exam- ination, Psychological Evaluation of Students & Faculty, and Transparency & Accountability. Conclusion: Gender bias can substantially affect medical students’ capacity to learn and succeed in their careers, is a well-es- tablished fact. Thus, to reduce gender bias in medical education, medical schools must take more excellent initiatives and promote anti-bias awareness sessions & workshops, post-examination feedback & reporting systems, and strict surveillance & accountability. Similarly, psychological evaluation of teachers & students, structured examination patterns, and promoting a panel of assessors for high stake exams are other strategies to counteract this issue in undergraduate medical education. Keywords: Assessment, Gender bias, Reduce, Undergraduate Medical Education

If images could speak: A social semiotics analysis of gender representation in science textbook images

ABSTRACT Textbooks use images, in addition to text, for delivering knowledge, thereby convey attitudes and values of students including those on gender bias. The gender bias presented in textbook images affects in subtle ways the students’ learning outcomes, career choices, and how they perceive science. However, prior research has relied on explicit information presented by textbook images of several subjects to investigate gender representation, overlooking the implicit meaning behind images with a very limited attention to science textbooks. Therefore, this study uses the social semiotic framework to analyse the implicit meaning that images convey related to gender representation in Chinese and Egyptian science textbooks. Specifically, four (two for each country) science textbooks of grade nine were coded and analysed. The findings revealed that gender gap still exists in the images of both Chinese and Egyptian science textbooks. Specifically, females were less represented in the textbook images compared to males, and their role was mostly a caring role. Notably, unlike the Chinese females and the common gender stereotype, Egyptian females were represented in a more active and powerful way compared to males. The findings of this study could help in better designing science textbook images to reduce gender bias.

Under My Skin: Reducing Bias in STEM through New Approaches to Assessment of Spatial Abilities Considering the Role of Emotional Regulation

Reducing gender bias in STEM is key to generating more equality and contributing to a more balanced workforce in this field. Spatial ability and its components are cognitive processes crucial to success in STEM education and careers. Significant gender differences have consistently been found in mental rotation (MR), the ability to mentally transform two- and three-dimensional objects. The aim of this pilot study is to examine factors in psychological assessment which may contribute to gender differences in MR performance. Moreover, findings will inform the development of the new approaches to assessment using computer adaptive testing (CAT). (1) Background: The study examines the impact of emotional regulation on MR performance in primary school children whose mean age was 9.28 years old. (2) Methods: Skin conductance was measured to assess the impact of emotional reactivity (ER) on performance during an MR task. (3) Results: Patterns of ER influence response time (RT) on specific items in the task. (4) Conclusions: Identifying the effects of emotional arousal and issues of test construction such as stereotyped stimuli and item difficulty in tests of spatial ability warrants ongoing investigation. It is vital to ensure that these factors do not compromise the accurate measurement of performance and inadvertently contribute to the gender gap in STEM.

A Visual Analysis of the Female Gaze in Korean Pop Culture

This paper uses image analysis to better investigate the images under the female gaze and uses current literature to show the importance, history, and influence of the female gaze. Through research and analysis, it is found that the male images under the female gaze in K-pop are very diverse and do not generate some stereotypes like the female images under the male gaze. The female images under the female gaze do not expose private parts and emphasize the body's curves but express the females power. Furthermore, due to the increasing number of female K-pop fans, the female gaze is becoming increasingly important in the Korean market, as part of the consumerism to attract women to buy goods. Female perspectives are highly inclusive and pay attention to self-expression, so society needs more female gaze to improve the diversity of social aesthetics and reduce gender bias.

Unemployment Rate and Gender Discrimination in the Chinese Real Estate Market During the Covid Pandemic

In the past several decades, the Chinese real estate market played an important role in economic activities, which drove nearly one-third of the financial activities in China. In addition, based on the data from Statista, real estate companies in China recruited nearly 3 million employees in 2021. Although Chinese real estate companies offer many job opportunities yearly, the unemployment rate increased during the pandemic in Chinese real estate markets. One factor that may cause the unemployment rate to increase is gender discrimination. The overall goal of this work was to study the relationship between the unemployment rate and gender preferences in the Chinese real estate market during the covid pandemic and does the pandemic reduce gender discrimination in the real estate markets. The paper uses a primary source, interviewing, to find the data for recruitment and layoffs in Chinese real estate companies during the covid pandemic. The paper finds that the unemployment rate in the Chinese real estate market is based on gender preferences in different departments, and Covid-19 did not reduce gender bias and stereotypes in Chinese real estate companies.

Exploring Gender Bias in Six Key Domains of Academic Science: An Adversarial Collaboration.

We synthesized the vast, contradictory scholarly literature on gender bias in academic science from 2000 to 2020. In the most prestigious journals and media outlets, which influence many people's opinions about sexism, bias is frequently portrayed as an omnipresent factor limiting women's progress in the tenure-track academy. Claims and counterclaims regarding the presence or absence of sexism span a range of evaluation contexts. Our approach relied on a combination of meta-analysis and analytic dissection. We evaluated the empirical evidence for gender bias in six key contexts in the tenure-track academy: (a) tenure-track hiring, (b) grant funding, (c) teaching ratings, (d) journal acceptances, (e) salaries, and (f) recommendation letters. We also explored the gender gap in a seventh area, journal productivity, because it can moderate bias in other contexts. We focused on these specific domains, in which sexism has most often been alleged to be pervasive, because they represent important types of evaluation, and the extensive research corpus within these domains provides sufficient quantitative data for comprehensive analysis. Contrary to the omnipresent claims of sexism in these domains appearing in top journals and the media, our findings show that tenure-track women are at parity with tenure-track men in three domains (grant funding, journal acceptances, and recommendation letters) and are advantaged over men in a fourth domain (hiring). For teaching ratings and salaries, we found evidence of bias against women; although gender gaps in salary were much smaller than often claimed, they were nevertheless concerning. Even in the four domains in which we failed to find evidence of sexism disadvantaging women, we nevertheless acknowledge that broad societal structural factors may still impede women's advancement in academic science. Given the substantial resources directed toward reducing gender bias in academic science, it is imperative to develop a clear understanding of when and where such efforts are justified and of how resources can best be directed to mitigate sexism when and where it exists.

Gender Audit as Basis in Developing Modules for GAD Focal Persons in Mati, Davao Oriental, Philippines

Abstract Many countries across the globe, including the Philippines, have implemented Gender and Development (GAD) policies to reduce gender biases and promote equality. However, mainstreaming efforts have been challenging due to the scarce availability of learning resources in the local context. This study is an initiative to provide the GAD Focal Point System (GFPS) in the Department of Education – City of Mati with a primary reference in training their GAD Focal Persons on Gender Sensitivity, GAD Planning, and Budgeting (GPB). The coverage is based on their learning needs and gaps determined through participatory strategies involving the school administrators, teachers, students, and parents. Also, the results of the gender audit using the Gender Mainstreaming Evaluation Framework (GMEF) are used as a baseline in module development. The framework presents strategic directions that agencies need to follow to advance across stages. It was found that Mati’s primary and secondary schools are in the initial stages of gender mainstreaming. As such, GAD’s basic concepts and definitions are introduced, along with various forms of gender-based violence and the appropriate mechanisms to address them aptly. The essential steps in planning and budgeting are also detailed, providing an active experience among the participants. It is imperative to sustain GAD capacity-building initiatives to catalyze a more directed and engaged policy framework.

Reinterpreting Feminism in Ideology and Practice

Feminism is widely developed in ideology and practice. A movement that elicits a great deal of individual and collective sympathy in order to fight for women’s rights, despite it continues to intersect with the subjectivity of various experiences of women’s oppression. The dynamic movement of this group, as well as the rights advocated for, contribute to the perception that feminism has gone too far. Literature studies was conducted to comprehend a tie-in the fragmentation of feminist groups to the emergence of this perception, which in turn influences rousing an anti-feminism perspective. Feminism supposed to be at the middle ground which prioritizes gender equality and justice, reduce gender bias, and base its ideology and activities on gender neutrality to address women's issues more objectively.

Gender Inequalities in Publications about COVID-19 in Spain: Authorship and Sex-Disaggregated Data.

Gender inequalities in biomedical literature have been widely reported in authorship as well as the scarcity of results that are stratified by sex in the studies. We conducted a bibliometric review of articles on COVID-19 published in the main Spanish medical journals between April 2020 and May 2021. The purpose of this study was to analyse differences in authorship order and composition by sex and their evolution over time, as well as the frequency of sex-disaggregated empirical results and its relationship with the author sex in articles on COVID-19 in the main Spanish biomedical journals. We identified 914 articles and 4921 authors, 57.5% men and 42.5% women. Women accounted for 36.7% of first authors and for 33.7% of last authors. Monthly variation in authorship over the course of the pandemic indicates that women were always less likely to publish as first authors. Only 1.0% of the articles broke down empirical results by sex. Disaggregation of results by sex was significantly more frequent when women were first authors and when women were the majority in the authorship. It is important to make gender inequalities visible in scientific dissemination and to promote gender-sensitive research, which can help to reduce gender bias in clinical studies as well as to design public policies for post-pandemic recovery that are more gender-equitable.

Supplemental Material for Reducing Gender Bias in the Evaluation and Selection of Future Leaders: The Role of Decision-Makers’ Mindsets About the Universality of Leadership Potential

Supplemental Material for Reducing Gender Bias in the Evaluation and Selection of Future Leaders: The Role of Decision-Makers’ Mindsets About the Universality of Leadership Potential