STEREOTYPE BIAS STEREOTYPES Stereotypes are hurtful comments which

STEREOTYPE & BIAS

STEREOTYPES Stereotypes are hurtful comments which are used to persuade someone to take action or to believe in something which is not necessarily true. A stereotype is a statement which labels every member of a group and leaves no room for individuality. Stereotypes brand every member of a group with the same characteristics. Stereotypes are not based on fact, although they can be based on real-life experience.

STEREOTYPES Examples of stereotypes: v People who drive sports cars are reckless. v All politicians are dishonest. v Boys are better than girls at math. v Football players are not smart. v Smart kids are geeks. v Rich kids are selfish. v All blondes are stupid. v Asians are better than others at math.

BIAS Bias is an inclination to favor someone or something. Bias is an attitude or belief that shapes a person’s thinking, in spite of the facts. Bias can sometimes be based on a stereotype that a person believes to be true. In its worst form, bias becomes prejudice.

BIAS An example of bias: v People often favor one political party over another, because of their own political views. v They may not give the candidates a fair chance to be heard, because they have already made up their minds about which party they support.

BIAS An example of bias: v Fans who cheer for their favorite sports teams often feel that the calls made by the referees are unfair or that the other team is not playing by the rules, instead of admitting that their team made a bad play.

STEREOTYPE & BIAS An example of stereotype and bias: v Some people believe that women are not as smart as men, and therefore feel as if women are less qualified than men for certain jobs. This is a stereotype. v This type of belief becomes bias when someone who feels this way is put in charge of hiring a new employee or granting a promotion. v Because he or she believes in a stereotype such as this, he or she will be biased towards certain individuals during the hiring process, and will not give all candidates a fair chance.