S3E06: Understanding Gender Bias and Gender Similarities

Amber and Will are dressed up as Daisy and Donald Duck for Disney Bounding month! Will’s joy this month is his new routine of charging his phone in his kitchen at night, which has significantly transformed his sleep and his mental health all day long by not having his phone in the bedroom with him at night. Amber’s joy is the book “Romanticize Your Life,” which gives her daily recommendations to make her life more whimsical and fun! This month’s discussion topic is gender bias, which taps into how we treat kids differently based on gender and teach them gender, how women get taken less seriously in several domains, including science, and how people often devalue femininity or things associated with it (a problem some researchers call “femmephobia”). We also talk about the “man vs bear” scenario that went viral last year and the “pink tax,” in which products marketed at women often cost more. They also discuss the gender similarities hypothesis, which argues (with LOTS of data) that men and women tend to be more similar than different on most psychological variables. During story time, the first story involves an instance of people teaching gender norms, and the more positive story involves women’s sports being given more prominence and respect. This episode’s listener question is “What is the Bechdel test?” The Bechdel test is a litmus test related to movie/TV portrayals of women. This episode’s habit-breaking skill is to favor mindfulness over blunt, ineffective tools. Sometimes people try to bluntly shove away bias in their minds, which backfires. Rather than that, it is better to be mindful of bias and accept the reality that bias sometimes comes to mind, then you can work on making sure it does not affect your behavior. Mindfulness is a powerful tool in changing bias. Amber’s joyful recommendation is the play, “& Juliet!” It’s a diverse, nostalgic, empowering jukebox musical, exploring what would have happened if Juliet of “Romeo and Juliet” had lived on after the play. Dr. Cox’s book becomes available for preorder! The publisher is University of California Press, and the full title is Overcoming Bias Habits: An Evidence-Based Guide to Creating a Joyfully Inclusive World. Check your small local bookstores! From Amazon: https://a.co/d/iwnakbM From Barnes and Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/overcoming-bias-habits-william-t-l-cox-phd/1148276458?ean=9780520410428 We now have merch! Buy some to support the show at https://www.biashabit.com/store Follow Diverse Joy on social media, including Facebook, Instagram, Twitter/X, Threads, and Bluesky.