It should not be on women to navigate gender bias. It should be on men to recognise it in themselves and in others, and then to work together to fix it.
So we really need an advice column from men, to men, on how to mitigate gender bias.
So here are some tips for men (and for women, but mainly for men) on fixing gender bias:
1. Accept that you are biased, and that this is part of being human.
2. Know and understand your biases. Do the Implicit Association Test. implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/
3. Don't go with your gut about what makes sense. Do some reading on the extensive work that experts have done in this area. There's a great bibliography at math.ubc.ca/~gerg/papers/d… .
4. Get in the habit of always making decisions based on objective criteria. Define the criteria and your basis for assessing them beforehand.
5. Ensure sufficient time for making important decisions, and minimise distractions. Rushing or multi-tasking lets the bias flood in.
6. If you hear or see bias, point it out. Slow down the discussion, make sure that the claims being made are evidence-based.
7. Be aware that people from under-represented groups tend to be damned with faint praise. They are inevitably described as helpful, hard-working and cheerful, rather than dynamic, bold or brilliant.
8. Use names, greetings, titles, sign-offs in a consistent way for a given context.
9. In any group conversation, directly seek input from those who have been quiet.
10. Let other people finish talking. Acknowledge other people's good ideas by name.
11. Recognise the existence of "pink" (thankless) tasks and make sure the workload of pink tasks is shared equitably.
12. Use and ask for specific examples to support assertions.
That's just a tiny start. The key things are to know the work that's been done on bias, and for any process or decision, avoid moving the goalposts or making up the rules as you go.
The bottom line is that if you believe you're not biased or you insist that "I treat everyone equally", you just might be part of the problem.
And important disclaimer: I am horribly biased. I think and do stupid, sexist, racist things all the time. I’m grateful for the friends and colleagues who continue to call me out and who have taught me so much. Still a lot of hard work ahead.
And deep thanks to @AAS_Women, @WidowWeb, @CathyFoley2, @lisaharveysmith, @ProfAstroSarah, and many others, who have taught me these approaches or who have shaped my thinking.
