Beware Our Unconscious Biases

 ‘Happy Women’s Day Rinku,’ said Rahul.

‘Thanks Rahul,’ said Rinku. ‘Good to see you support and celebrate gender equality.’

‘But why this special focus?’ wondered Rahul. ‘Women do everything that men do now. Where’s the gender bias?’

‘Ok, answer this popular riddle,’ said Rakesh. ‘A father and a son are involved in a car crash. The father dies. The son’s taken to the hospital in critical condition. On the operating table the surgeon says ‘I can’t operate. He’s my son.’ How’s it possible?’

‘The man who died is not the real father,’ said Rahul. ‘Or the boy’s mother had him from an earlier relationship.’

‘Maybe the surgeon was mistaken,’ said Rinku.

‘Wrong,’ said Rakesh. ‘The surgeon was the mother.’

‘OMG,’ said Rahul and Rinku.

‘Don’t worry, most people get it wrong,’ said Rakesh. ‘Thanks to unconscious biases we all pick up in our childhood. These implicit biases influence our decisions unconsciously - like assuming that women are good only for certain jobs. Women suffered gender bias for centuries Rahul, at work, pay, recognition and position despite better qualifications.’

‘But things have changed bhaiyya,’ said Rahul.

‘I doubt it, going by your answers,’ smiled Rakesh. ‘In another study, the same CV, with a male name and with a female name, was given to respondents to judge who was more competent. The majority said the male was. That’s how biased we still are. Ideas that men ‘take charge’ and women ‘take care’ are deeply ingrained and quietly relegate highly capable women to the background while promoting incapable males.’

‘That’s sad,’ said Rinku. ‘How can we counter this bhaiyya?’

‘By being aware,’ said Rakesh. ‘And testing ourselves on our biases. Take Harvard’s free Implicit Association Test and test your biases - the results might surprise you. Or try the flip test – put the other gender in a familiar situation and check how you feel. Imagine a man doing all the housework plus holding a high-ranked job, or a married woman pilot hanging out at the bar after work. If it makes you feel weird, you have a bias.’

‘But bhaiyya,’ said Rahul. ‘Are traditional roles wrong? Why change things that are working well?’

‘That’s insecure thinking Rakesh,’ said Rakesh. ‘By keeping 50% of our population out, humanity cannot grow. It’s like saying the screw does all the work and the nut does nothing. Everyone’s role is important. Everyone’s perspective is unique and adds up. To attain our fullest potential as a society, we must eliminate all bias, include women’s perspectives, and give everyone a voice and their rightful place.’

‘Thanks bhaiyya,’ said Rinku. ‘Big insight.’

Pro Tip: Our unconscious biases against gender, community, colour, caste, age etc influence our decisions. Be aware. Test yourself. When we allow everyone to flourish on an equal footing, without bias, we unleash the real potential of our group or unit.