Sexism is prejudice based on an individual’s gender; it primarily effects women and it can be conscious or unconscious and manifest in a variety of ways. In today’s society, there are more complex definitions of gender that need to be taken into account. The psychological processing that underlies stereotyping can be explained through the social role theory because it emphasizes observable behavior of other group members (Koenig & Eagly 2013). The process of learning social attributes of a person’s own gender is known as gender socialization (Coman 2016). Gender bias in academia has been acknowledged but has not improved much over the last two decades. The different factors that contribute to women being underrepresented in the higher ranks of the academic world will be discussed along with the gender identification theory and medical model. There is a dissolution between what America actually offers and the failure to do so. Throughout history, practitioners in the field of psychology and law have disregarded diversity as a worthy factory (Barongan 2006). Gender and gender identity are controlled by societal norms and the school system continues to be divided on how to address those challenges (Miller 2018). The complexity of gender issues has put pressure on lawmakers to implement equality under the law.
Keywords: Gender, Academia, Identity
The Complexity of Gender Bias in the Modern World
The goal of psychology has previously been to understand and pinpoint explanations for human behavior that are universal (Barongan 2006). The social role theory has focused on understanding key gender stereotypes and their impact but it is extremely binary. Women not only face a glass ceiling but also a sticky floor which keeps them in follower positions; they are at a disadvantage before even considering a leadership position (Braun, Stegmann, Hernandez, Junker, and van Dick 2017). The gender identity theory is an educational approach to understand and reduce the gender gap in education (Vantieghem, Vermeersch, & Houtte 2014). Currently, the education system has inherited all the gender norms and the attributions that follow. Anti-bullying laws have made strides, but the policies need to focus more on equality and that means recognition through the curriculum (Miller 2018). Most research has focused on gender differences in high school students even though the gender gap is notable in higher educational settings (Vantieghem et al. 2014).
