Hi everyone:

Today, I attended a workshop at work regarding the power of unconscious bias, and how it affects all of us in our daily lives. Of course, many of us are probably already aware of the biases we may possess—but there are some that can surprise you!

There's a website for Project Implicit, created at Harvard, that allows you to take 10-15 minute interactive tests to judge your unconscious biases on everything from gender to race to—wait for it—even weight. You may have to enter your email to participate, but the tests are free, and very interesting!

https://implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/selectatest.html

Try it out, and let me know what you thought, what surprised you, etc! Curious to see people's feedback.

I took the family / career /male /female implicit quiz

Results: Your data suggest a strong automatic association of MALE with career and FEMALE with family.

Pretty typical. My responses were spot on and fast until block 7. Then I started to get my answers wrong and also slowed down in my response time. Clearly I have a typical association of male to career and female to family.

Who would not?

Clearly I have a typical association of male to career and female to family.

Who would not?

Women! :-) Certainly this woman did not.

I took the family / career /male /female implicit quiz

Results: Your data suggest a strong automatic association of MALE with career and FEMALE with family.

Pretty typical. My responses were spot on and fast until block 7. Then I started to get my answers wrong and also slowed down in my response time. Clearly I have a typical association of male to career and female to family.

Who would not?

My knee jerk reaction to your comments was to be indignant, Fiddle, but then I thought 'wait! Maybe I should take the tests before I protest too much!'. Never know what my subconscious will say! I'm off to take them & see where I come out.

Ok, so I took the tests. I have a slight association with Female=Career. So NOW I get to object to your comments Fiddle!!

Of course, I'm assuming my bias is because I work full-time outside the home, I manage a team of people at a large company, and my marriage has never been "traditional"; I don't cook or clean, my hubby does his own laundry, and we make joint decisions on stuff. I am also the disciplinarian with our kids, whereas he's the softie.

Interesting tests. I wonder how much of the bias is due to the order in which they present the options. They condition you somewhat in the associations by how it is presented. If they were run with the 'negative' associations first, then the 'positive' I wonder if the results would differ.

You got me - I guess my thinking is very old school in terms of male, female, family and career. It is the way I was raised. It does not make it "right" or "wrong." It just is.

You got me - I guess my thinking is very old school in terms of male' date=' female, family and career. It is the way I was raised. It does not make it "right" or "wrong." It just is. [/quote']

Agree - that's why I said I should take the tests before objecting. I was raised in a 'traditional' home too, and am the only one of my siblings to not have carried on the tradition. But I think that this thinking is still prevalent despite the advances women have made. I kept my name when I got married (more out of convenience than any feminist basis, truth be told) but I still run into issues in 2013! The assumption that I am divorced, or that my husband & I are not legally married (we better be, after 20 years!). I bristle at the mindset that women can't do what a man can, but it's a bias we women deal with every day.