In a previous post I wrote about implicit bias: a term that is used to describe the process when stereotypes unintentionally influence our views about and behaviours towards another person.
 
Without our awareness, we assign qualities to individuals based on their social category or group – so their sexual orientation, race, employment status, etc – and this is where bias comes in. Implicit biases have been found to occur mainly in relation to stigmatised groups and can present as ageism, sexism, racism and so on.
 
Implicit bias can be powerful and it can oppose the beliefs that we hold and are aware of. But by increasing awareness of implicit bias, we can start to decrease the influence it has on the ways we connect with other people.
 
Professor Jenny Saul from the University of Sheffield gave her lecture “Implicit Bias, Stereotype Threat and Women in Academia” at the launch of the Women@TUOS network. I was fortunate to attend this excellent lecture and so I am very pleased to bring it to you here (watch out for the tips on how to reduce the influence of implicit bias). Enjoy and please share!