Isabel Boroch

The Impact of the Perpetration of Implicit Gender Bias in University Departments on Women in Political Science

Started June 22, 2023

Abstract or project description

While the inequities women face across professions and their subsequent under presentation in career paths dominated by men has been long established, the relationship between them is not commonly studied. However, by identifying the relationship, a cause of the underrepresentation of women in certain professions is highlighted, allowing others to respond accordingly to make the needed changes to empower women across all occupations. In my paper I reviewed the specific relationship of the underrepresentation of women professors of political science in university departments and how this directs the trajectory of their female students' careers. To do this, I complied data from various sources on the demographics of university political science departments and popular political science careers after graduation. Through this I found a correlation between a lack of representation in the education setting succeeding lack of representation in areas of the workforce. In U.S. university political departments women make up a small percentage of professors, opening the door for the transfer of implicit bias from male professors to female students by way of symbolic interactionism. This bias in turn has the potential to impact the students' decisions on whether or not to continue down a career in political science, and the data made it apparent that this impact was largely negative. Broadly, this implies that there does exist a simple solution to women's underrepresentation in certain fields. Additionally, it demonstrates the impact even unconscious bias can have and the need for greater awareness of it.