{"id":21234,"date":"2018-03-20T18:03:59","date_gmt":"2018-03-20T22:03:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/?p=21234"},"modified":"2018-03-20T18:12:56","modified_gmt":"2018-03-20T22:12:56","slug":"psychologist-campus-discuss-issues-gender-bias","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/2018\/03\/psychologist-campus-discuss-issues-gender-bias\/","title":{"rendered":"Psychologist on campus to discuss issues of gender bias"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Dr. Chris Kilmartin offers several presentations this week on gender bias and implicit prejudices.<\/p><\/div>\n

If you go<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Who:<\/strong> Dr. Chris Kilmartin
\nWhat:<\/strong> \u201cCrimes Against Nature,\u201d solo comedy theater performance.
\nWhen:<\/strong> 5:30-6:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 21
\nWhere:<\/strong> Multicultural Center, Room 352 University Center
\nAdmission:<\/strong> Free and open to the public
\nInformation<\/strong>: https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/events\/939715139536373<\/a>
\nSponsors:<\/strong> Women\u2019s Studies Program, the Departments of English, Psychology and Performing Arts, and the College of Arts and Sciences Diversity Committee.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

The guy sits in the back of the classroom, slouched in his desk, baseball cap pulled low over his eyes, lots of tattoos in full view.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy stereotype was activated. Part of me looks and says, \u2018Uh oh, here comes trouble,\u2019 \u201d said Dr. Chris Kilmartin, emeritus professor at the University of Mary Washington, author, stand-up comedian and professional psychologist.<\/p>\n

\u201cPrejudiced and less-prejudiced people don\u2019t differ in stereotype activation. \u2026 I\u2019m here to tell you I wish I could say I don\u2019t have those activations, but I do. Everybody does.\u201d<\/p>\n

On Tuesday, March 20, Kilmartin was in Benwood Auditorium in UTC\u2019s Engineering, Math and Computer Science Building, discussing \u201cImplicit Bias Toward Women in STEM.\u201d During his 75-minute presentation, however, he also examined prejudice as a whole\u2014sexism, racism, religion, sexuality\u2014and how it\u2019s deeply ingrained within us even though we may think it\u2019s not. He also offered tips on how to recognize bias when it flares up and how to fight against it.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou have to go looking for it,\u201d Kilmartin said. \u201cYour brain is not the boss.\u201d<\/p>\n

With prejudice against women, he noted there often is an implicit bias towards the gender instead of the individual. A man who performs poorly may be seen as simply being bad at his job, he said, but a woman who does the same may be seen as an indication that \u201cWe shouldn\u2019t hire women.\u201d<\/p>\n

When it comes to issues with women in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math), the prejudice can be seen in a number of ways, Kilmartin said.<\/p>\n

Some are mainly demeaning:<\/p>\n