Abstract
Women make up the majority of doctoral degree earners yet remain underrepresented in tenure-track positions within the academy. Gender disparities result in part from the accumulation of subtle, typically unintentional biases that pervade workplace structures, practices, and patterns of interactions that inadvertently favor men. However, the subtle nature of gender bias makes it difficult to detect and thus diminishes the likelihood of action to address it. We experimentally evaluated the effectiveness of a brief intervention, the Workshop Activity for Gender Equity Simulation in the Academy (WAGES-Academic), which was designed to increase recognition of subtle gender bias in the academic workplace. Participants (N = 177) completed either the WAGES intervention or one of two control conditions and later evaluated promotion and tenure materials of a woman faculty member who received either a blatant sexist, subtle sexist, or nonsexist review. Consistent with hypotheses, WAGES participants (vs. controls) detected more subtle gender bias (ps <.02) and were subsequently more likely to report concerns about bias (ps <.04). Results suggest that low-cost interventions that educate individuals about subtle bias in a nonthreatening way may increase detection and reporting of gender bias in higher education institutions.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 611-636 |
| Number of pages | 26 |
| Journal | Journal of Higher Education |
| Volume | 89 |
| Issue number | 5 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Sep 3 2018 |
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All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes
- Education
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Testing an Intervention for Recognizing and Reporting Subtle Gender Bias in Promotion and Tenure Decisions. / Cundiff, Jessica L.; Danube, Cinnamon L.; Zawadzki, Matthew J.; Shields, Stephanie A.
In: Journal of Higher Education, Vol. 89, No. 5, 03.09.2018, p. 611-636.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
TY - JOUR
T1 - Testing an Intervention for Recognizing and Reporting Subtle Gender Bias in Promotion and Tenure Decisions
AU - Cundiff, Jessica L.
AU - Danube, Cinnamon L.
AU - Zawadzki, Matthew J.
AU - Shields, Stephanie A.
PY - 2018/9/3
Y1 - 2018/9/3
N2 - Women make up the majority of doctoral degree earners yet remain underrepresented in tenure-track positions within the academy. Gender disparities result in part from the accumulation of subtle, typically unintentional biases that pervade workplace structures, practices, and patterns of interactions that inadvertently favor men. However, the subtle nature of gender bias makes it difficult to detect and thus diminishes the likelihood of action to address it. We experimentally evaluated the effectiveness of a brief intervention, the Workshop Activity for Gender Equity Simulation in the Academy (WAGES-Academic), which was designed to increase recognition of subtle gender bias in the academic workplace. Participants (N = 177) completed either the WAGES intervention or one of two control conditions and later evaluated promotion and tenure materials of a woman faculty member who received either a blatant sexist, subtle sexist, or nonsexist review. Consistent with hypotheses, WAGES participants (vs. controls) detected more subtle gender bias (ps <.02) and were subsequently more likely to report concerns about bias (ps <.04). Results suggest that low-cost interventions that educate individuals about subtle bias in a nonthreatening way may increase detection and reporting of gender bias in higher education institutions.
AB - Women make up the majority of doctoral degree earners yet remain underrepresented in tenure-track positions within the academy. Gender disparities result in part from the accumulation of subtle, typically unintentional biases that pervade workplace structures, practices, and patterns of interactions that inadvertently favor men. However, the subtle nature of gender bias makes it difficult to detect and thus diminishes the likelihood of action to address it. We experimentally evaluated the effectiveness of a brief intervention, the Workshop Activity for Gender Equity Simulation in the Academy (WAGES-Academic), which was designed to increase recognition of subtle gender bias in the academic workplace. Participants (N = 177) completed either the WAGES intervention or one of two control conditions and later evaluated promotion and tenure materials of a woman faculty member who received either a blatant sexist, subtle sexist, or nonsexist review. Consistent with hypotheses, WAGES participants (vs. controls) detected more subtle gender bias (ps <.02) and were subsequently more likely to report concerns about bias (ps <.04). Results suggest that low-cost interventions that educate individuals about subtle bias in a nonthreatening way may increase detection and reporting of gender bias in higher education institutions.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85055189565&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85055189565&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1080/00221546.2018.1437665
DO - 10.1080/00221546.2018.1437665
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85055189565
VL - 89
SP - 611
EP - 636
JO - Journal of Higher Education
JF - Journal of Higher Education
SN - 0022-1546
IS - 5
ER -