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Monday, September 24, 2012

Science faculty’s subtle gender biases favor male students

Science faculty’s subtle gender biases favor male students:


Science faculty’s subtle gender biases favor male students

  1. Jo Handelsmana,1
+Author Affiliations
  1. aDepartment of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology,
  2. bDepartment of Psychology,
  3. cSchool of Management, and
  4. dDepartment of Psychiatry, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520
  1. Edited* by Shirley Tilghman, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, and approved August 21, 2012 (received for review July 2, 2012)

Abstract

Despite efforts to recruit and retain more women, a stark gender disparity persists within academic science. Abundant research has demonstrated gender bias in many demographic groups, but has yet to experimentally investigate whether science faculty exhibit a bias against female students that could contribute to the gender disparity in academic science. In a randomized double-blind study (n = 127), science faculty from research-intensive universities rated the application materials of a student—who was randomly assigned either a male or female name—for a laboratory manager position. Faculty participants rated the male applicant as significantly more competent and hireable than the (identical) female applicant. These participants also selected a higher starting salary and