Ending Gender Bias on Campuses

Throughout history certain people groups have faced different kinds of bias. Race,
religion, and gender have all been points of bias. As of recent years, gender bias had been the
focus of many studies to determine the prevalence and severity in different areas of life. Lately
studies have been specifically focused on gender bias in education, especially at the
undergraduate level. I insist that gender bias is still a prevalent issue at the undergraduate level in
STEM fields, and while UNCC has taken steps to mediate the bias, I encourage the university to
do more end gender bias between peers.
The existence of gender bias has been heavily disputed in recent years. However, Rachael
Robnett provides clear evidence of the existence of gender bias in STEM fields in a recent article
published in the Psychology of Women Quarterly. In her article, Robnett explains a study that
she conducted to better understand whether gender bias varies depending on the level of
education, if gender bias affects STEM self-concept in women, and if a supportive peer network
can buffer the negative impact that gender bias causes on self-concept (Robnett 65). Robnett
found that Overall, 204 (61%) of girls and women in the current study reported experiencing
gender bias in STEM at least once over the course of the past year (Robnett 71). Furthermore,
Robnetts study revealed that gender bias at the undergraduate level is even more prevalent than
at the graduate or high school levels. She also discovered that the most common source of gender
bias was from male peers. This shows that most gender bias is a result of peer-to-peer
interactions, and this is a point that needs to be emphasized since most people assume gender
bias is from professor-to-peer interactions or teacher-to-peer interactions. Her study also showed
that women who experienced gender bias also had lower STEM self-concept, meaning that they
did not believe that they had the same chance of succeeding in the STEM fields as men. Lastly,
her study showed that having a supportive peer network seemed to buffer the impact that gender
bias caused on womens STEM self-concept.
Our team then conducted further research on the existence of gender bias at the
undergraduate level by conducting our own survey. Our survey consisted of 10 questions aimed
at discovering if gender bias existed at UNCC, and if so, where it was prevalent and who issued
the bias. The survey was distributed to 60 friends and classmates of different majors at UNCC.
This survey reveal that 16 (27.1%) of these participants also state that they have experienced
gender bias on campus. Of the recipients, 38 reported that gender bias was most common in
student-to-student situations. This result matches Robnetts study, since male peers biasing
female peers is also a peer-to-peer interaction. These two studies show that peer-to-peer gender
bias is a clear issue on college campuses and that certain measures should be taken to end this
bias and to continue to encourage women in STEM fields to raise their STEM self-concept.
The university has already taken steps to address the issue of gender bias. UNC Charlotte
has an active chapter of the Society of Women Engineers. The Society of Women Engineers is
an on-campus organization aimed to support and encourage women to pursue an education in
engineering. As stated above, a portion of Robnetts study was focused on the effect that a
supportive peer-network can have on women who experience gender bias. This organization is
one example of a great support network for women. As shown by Robnetts study, this support
network should make women feel more welcome in the STEM fields, and help them feel as
though they can succeed. The university actively supports this organization. Every student in the
William States Lee College of Engineer, whether male or female, receives an email with flyer
from the club every month. This shows that the university supports the efforts of the
organization, and supports what the organization stands for.
Another example of the university intervening in gender bias was a two-part series names
Gender Bias in Academia. The first workshop was directed towards women at the graduate level
and issues that they will face. The second workshop was for those same women but it explained
the nature of gender bias in the workforce. This two-part series is a great example of how the
university is acknowledging the issue of gender bias. These events do a good job of raising
awareness of gender bias both in graduate studies and the workforce.
The Society of Women and Engineers and the Gender Bias in Academia series are
examples of how the university has intervened on the issue of gender bias. Some might argue
that the university is doing a good job of raising awareness, and that they should not waste more
resources on the issue. However, UNC Charlotte is missing a crucial part of the issue; they arent
addressing male students which research shows are the main performers of gender bias. The
Society of Women Engineers is a phenomenal organization that supports women, but they dont
address the male population either. The two-part series played a role in raising awareness, but it
didnt take steps to end the bias. Therefore, I believe that universitys job is not done yet, and
that more needs to be done to end gender bias. They need to address the male population through
organizations, workshops, or events to encourage males to accept their female peers.
It is clear from multiple sources of evidence that gender bias is still an issue on college
campuses. The university has taken multiple steps to address the issue, and have even held
workshops that raise awareness. However, I believe that the university still needs to do more. As
long as gender bias is still an issue, some women will not pursue an education in STEM fields
which can ultimately hurt the field. I think that to truly end gender bias at UNCC and across the
nation, organizations need to be formed that encourage men and women to work together and to
treat each other fairly as equal counterparts. If men and women can stop showing bias towards
the other gender, everyones STEM self-concept will increase. This will ultimately lead to fuller
STEM fields of both men and women who are willing and happy to work with each other. I
encourage UNC Charlotte to continue to raise awareness on the issue of gender bias, and
recommended that they invest in programs that will ultimately end gender bias on college
campuses.
 References
Robnett, Rachael D. "Gender Bias in STEM Fields." Psychology of Women Quarterly, vol. 40,
no. 1, Mar. 2016, pp. 65-79. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1177/0361684315596162.