Women In Business - April 2016
The Invisible Wall: Unconcious Biass
A few years ago, researchers at Yale University sent out a fictional application to science professors at top U.S. research universities asking them to evaluate an applicant. There was one variation in what the professors received—the name of the applicant for some was Jennifer and, for others, it was John. Both male and female professors showed a significant bias toward John in their evaluations of competency, hireability and salary to offer. This study came ten years after a study at Harvard University that asked students to share impressions of an entrepreneur—named either Heidi or Howard—with similar results. These studies disclosed unconscious bias—a bias that you are unaware of and, therefore, unable to control. This is not just a gender bias issue. Studies have confirmed that unconscious bias applies to numerous other factors including race, nationality, height, weight, accents and beliefs to name a few.