Legal Definitions - gender bias

Gender bias refers to the unfair or unequal treatment of an individual based on their actual or perceived gender identity. It occurs when decisions, actions, or attitudes are influenced by preconceived notions or stereotypes about a person's gender, rather than by their individual merits, qualifications, or circumstances.

Examples:

• Example 1: In the Workplace
  A highly qualified female candidate is consistently overlooked for leadership positions in a tech company, despite having a stronger track record and more experience than her male counterparts who are promoted. The hiring committee, without explicitly stating it, often expresses concerns about her "assertiveness" or "ability to manage a team with a strong personality," while similar traits in male candidates are praised as "decisive leadership."

  This illustrates gender bias because the female candidate is receiving different treatment (being passed over for promotions) based on perceived gender stereotypes about leadership styles, rather than an objective assessment of her qualifications and performance.

• Example 2: In Education
  At a university, the engineering department consistently allocates significantly more funding, state-of-the-art equipment, and dedicated faculty mentorship to research projects proposed by male students, compared to equally innovative and well-researved projects submitted by female students. This disparity is not based on the quality of the proposals but on an unspoken assumption that male students are inherently more suited for technical research.

  This demonstrates gender bias because female students are receiving unequal access to resources and support in their educational program based on their gender, potentially hindering their academic and professional development in a STEM field.

• Example 3: In Public Services
  During a traffic stop, a police officer assumes a male driver is more likely to be involved in reckless behavior and issues a stricter warning or a citation for a minor infraction, while a female driver committing a similar infraction receives a more lenient warning, based on a stereotype that men are more aggressive drivers.

  This shows gender bias because the officer's response and the severity of the action taken are influenced by the driver's perceived gender, leading to different treatment for similar conduct.