Session Detail


202
CSWA: Addressing Unconscious Bias
Special Session
Monday, May 24, 2010, 10:00 AM -11:30 AM
Hibiscus AB
We all have biases, and we are (for the most part) unaware of them. In general, men and women BOTH unconsciously devalue the contributions of women. This can have a detrimental effect on grant proposals, job applications, and performance reviews. Sociology is way ahead of astronomy in these studies. When evaluating identical application packages, male and female University psychology professors preferred 2:1 to hire “Brian” over “Karen” as an assistant professor. When evaluating a more experienced record (at the point of promotion to tenure), reservations were expressed four times more often when the name was female. This unconscious bias has a repeated negative effect on Karen’s career. Ref: Steinpreis, Anders, & Ritzke (1999) Sex Roles, 41, 509. In this session, we want to introduce the concept of unconscious bias and also give recommendations on how to address it using an example for a faculty search committee. The process of eliminating unconscious bias begins with awareness, then moves to policy and practice, and ends with accountability. We plan to use the information from the University of Michigan Advance STRIDE web site as a guideline (http://sitemaker.umich.edu/advance/stride).
Presentations:
Organizer
Joan T. Schmelz1
1Univ. of Memphis.
202.00C. Chair
Joan T. Schmelz1
1Univ. of Memphis.
202.01. Introduction to Unconscious Bias
 Joan T. Schmelz1
1Univ. of Memphis.
202.02. How Did I Get Here? - The Role of Unconscious Bias in Career Paths
 Patricia Knezek1
1WIYN Consortium, Inc..
202.03. Nibbled to Death by Ducks: The Accumulation of Disadvantage
 Caroline E. Simpson1
1Florida International Univ..
202.04. Actions by Junior Faculty in Addressing Unconscious Bias
 Michele Montgomery1
1Univ. of Central Florida.