Disrupting Implicit Bias
We say doctor, what do you say? You are far more likely to say nurse than bluebird. Quick! We say: Picture a doctor. You are far more likely to picture a white male than, for example, a woman of color. Recall the airline attendant who, when seeking emergency medical assistance, for a passenger, rejected the African American, female doctor who volunteered, saying, that an actual doctor was needed. One more: we say Picture a lawyer. More likely than not, your first response was a picture of a white male. For both doctors and lawyers, the white male pictures would be statistically accurate. For lawyers, according to the Bureau of Labor, 88% of U.S. attorneys are white and 62% are male. (Numbers for judges, magistrates, and other judicial workers are similar, 85% white and 68% male, for bankruptcy trustees. But, we said, Quick! Did you consciously think about what you knew about Bureau of Labor statistics and consider your picture? Read Full Article