Implicit Bias and Modernity
For my entire life I have been very conscious of my privilege. I grew up in a primarily white town, with a comfortable family, and I went to one of the best public schools in the state. At around fourteen years old I began to become aware of the ways that different people experienced life. It was around this age that I began to learn about politics, police brutality, homophobia, and more. When my knowledge of the need for social justice began to grow, I took it upon myself to become as educated as possible on what inequalities really exist in this world.
It was also during this time that I began to learn about the sexism that remains in this world. I noticed that most of my teachers were female while most of the firefighters across the street were male. I noticed that the boys who played sports in high school practiced without shirts on, yet I was violating dress code because my running shorts fell just above my finger tips. I noticed that even though my mother made the most money, she was still the parent who did the grocery shopping, laundry, and cleaning.
In 2018, Scientific American published an article stating that “most individuals are implicitly biased even if they do not think of themselves as prejudiced,” (Payne, 2018). When I took an implicit bias test, I realized that I was not exempt from this statement. I revealed a gender bias towards men being associated with careerUnfortunately, as I grow and begin to build a larger presence in the American workforce, I see these biases on a day to day basis. . One of the primary examples of the ways in which gender roles maintain presence in the workplace is through traditionally male and female positions. I currently work as a receptionist for community health centers. During my time working, roughly 20 people hold the same title as me. With the exception of one person who is non-binary, every single receptionist is female. There have been plenty of male applicants, yet none of them are chosen for the position, I do not think that this is a coincidence. The majority female team I work with is likely a result of implicit bias in the workplace.
Payne, K. (2018, March 27). How to think about ‘implicit bias’. Scientific American. Retrieved May 7, 2023, from https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-to-think-about-implicit-bias/