Gender Bias, Latent or Apparent?
I am very grateful to be able to be in this lecture program which brings me together with brilliant minds who build awareness to think critically about thoughts and attitudes of racism, inequality, exclusion, denigration, and the like. This program guides and shapes students to think and behave as leaders on a global scale. Namely, leaders who are open to diversity, who embrace many people, and who can see the good side and potential of others and empower them. This also reminds me that the struggle to practice leadership like that is not an easy and light thing to do. When I came across this week’s reading, Sway Unraveling Unconscious Bias, it was like I was re-encountering a precious pearl that is very meaningful in my future projects and ministry.
We live in a context where patriarchal culture is still quite strongly held by most of the people here, including in Christian life. In 2018, I was assigned to write a formation material aimed at the Men of our denomination. Then I was assigned to provide teaching to trainers who would present the material to all men in our denomination throughout Indonesia. The emphasis I convey in this article is regarding equality between men and women, which is the initial concept that God stated in the Bible and how we apply it in the marriage relationship as husband and wife who are equal before God who places God as the main leader in the marriage. The implication is that both husband and wife have equal roles and opportunities with each other, both in the public and domestic spheres. The reaction from almost all participants consisting of lay congregations, elders, and a small number of pastors was to reject the idea. For them, the “Biblical” concept is that the husband has a higher position than the wife. This is very gender biased. However, I am not surprised by this because I am aware that in the minds of most people in our context, including Christianity, the stigma has been ingrained that hierarchical and subordinate relations between men and women are something that is “given” from heaven. Anything and anyone who tries to change this will be seen as a troublemaker who will destroy the comfort that has been maintained for so long.
Agarwal uses a terminology that appears repeatedly in his book. She explains, “I use the terms ‘implicit bias’ and ‘unconscious bias’ interchangeably, referring to those biases that exist without our conscious knowledge, the ones that manifest themselves in our actions and reactions often without us realising it, rearing their heads when we least expect it and sometimes taking us by surprise.”[1] I got the strong impression that Agarwal made the issue of gender bias one of the main topics in writing his book. She insists, “Gender bias is a huge topic, with far-reaching impact on social inequalities.”[2] Her past life surrounded by very strong patriarchal cultural practices made her call to do something for women who are oppressed and exploited in India. She writes, “I had the opportunity and the freedom to denounce the roles that many women in India are expected to play: a traditional Indian wife, daughter-in-law and mother.”[3]
The reality in India is more or less similar to what happens in our context. Women in the not-too-distant past only had very limited and biased (domestic) roles, namely mattresses (kasur) to produce babies, kitchens (dapur) to cook and preserve meals, and wells (sumur) to wash clothes. Even though currently the stigma is getting weaker and fading, in the minds of some people, both men, and even women, it is still there. Agarwal says, “But as we talk about gender bias, let us not forget about intersectionality and how certain multiple identities can further stigmatise women and render them even more invisible. Yes, there is change, but it is glacial.”[4]
In our context, equality between men and women has indeed been fought for a lot. However, I have the impression that many people are still half-hearted in doing so. This is because, in many organizations, women do play important roles but are rarely among those who are at the center of leadership. Several of my fellow pastors (men) have joked several times that if women are allowed to be at the helm, they often only prioritize emotion, not logic. This shows that unconscious bias still exists. Agarwal writes, “Even as women have more choice of profession, and as they step into traditional male-dominated domains such as lawyers and managers, they are still constrained to lower-level positions. Women are being rewarded and celebrated for their competence but not for their leadership.”[5] Indeed, in our denomination, although the number of female pastors is comparable to male pastors, there has never been a single female pastor at the helm. This is homework for the church and Christianity. Agarwal correctly points out that unconscious bias is a latent danger that needs to be watched out for. The Church and Christianity need to continue to open up so that pastors, ministers, leaders, and all their people can avoid the negative impact of unconscious bias in internal and external relationships. My NPO project is about marriage enrichment for husbands and wives in our church. One important factor that will receive primary attention is providing awareness about the importance of equal relations in marriage.
[1] Pragya Agarwal, Sway: Unravelling Unconscious Bias, 1st ed. (London: Bloomsbury Publishing Plc, 2020), 16.
[2] Ibid, 250.
[3] Ibid, 13.
[4] Ibid, 251.
[5] Ibid, 394.
About the Author
Dinka Utomo
Dinka Nehemia Utomo is an ordained pastor of the Protestant Church in the Western part of Indonesia (Gereja Protestan di Indonesia bagian Barat or GPIB). He has served for more than 15 years. The first five years of his ministry were in the remote area of East Kalimantan, including people from the indigenous Dayak tribe in the small villages in the middle of the forest, frequently reached using small boats down the river. For more than 15 years, Dinka has served several GPIB congregations in several cities in Indonesia. He has always had a passion for equipping Christian families, teaching and guiding them to build equal relations between husband and wife, maintaining commitment, love, and loyalty, creating a healthy and constructive Christian family atmosphere, and rejecting all forms of violence and sexual violence. Dinka's beloved wife, Verra, is also a GPIB pastor. They have two blessed children. Dinka and his wife and children love to spend quality family time, such as lunch or dinner, and vacation to exotic places.6 responses to “Gender Bias, Latent or Apparent?”
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
Hi Dinka,
You wrote, ” The implication is that both husband and wife have equal roles and opportunities with each other, both in the public and domestic spheres. The reaction from almost all participants consisting of lay congregations, elders, and a small number of pastors was to reject the idea. For them, the “Biblical” concept is that the husband has a higher position than the wife.
I am truly not surprised by this. So many have used scripture to create hierarchies that perpetuate their right to power.
As a baby boomer (post WW11) , I wonder if my biases are a product of a “less sensitive” generation. Creating hierarchies is clearly a global issue that manifests itself as a product of the fall…I don’t quite know what the answer should be.
In my research I found this.
Scott O. Lilienfeld, “Microaggressions: Strong Claims, Inadequate Evidence,” Perspectives on Psychological Science 12, no. 1 (January 1, 2017): 138–69, https://doi.org/10.1177/1745691616659391.
A snippet…. Lilienfeld says microaggression researchers have largely ignored the role of negative emotionality. Negative emotionality (NE) is “a pervasive temperamental disposition to experience aversive emotions of many kinds, including anxiety… hostility, irritability, and perceived victimization” (Lilienfeld, 2017, p. 153). Persons with high levels of NE tend to be vigilant, judgmental, and prone to interpreting ambiguous stimuli in a negative light.
He also, “calls for a moratorium on microaggression training programs and publicly distributed microaggression lists pending research to address the MRP’s scientific limitations.
SURPRISE….
Thanks for your thoughts.
Shalom…
The pendulum swings ever wildly.
Shalom…
Hi Russell!
Thank you for your response. Lilienfeld’s thinking is very interesting because it shows the role and influence of negative emotionality with microaggression. In my view, Christianity and the church also need to learn how to detect microaggressions in its teachings which have been carried out both consciously and unconsciously to eliminate biased thinking.
Shalom!
Hi Dinka,
I really appreciate how you have shared about the bias that women in your ministry and national context face. Women in leadership recently came up within our family of churches. We have many wonderful women in leadership positions, but they could use more support, understanding, and clarity about their roles. What do you suggest in terms of supporting Christian women in leadership positions? How do you encourage male ministry leaders to engage women more equitably?
Hi Jenny!
Thank you for your response. I was happy when you shared what happened recently in your church regarding women’s leadership. In my view, supporting women’s leadership means providing equal opportunities for anyone worthy and capable of being in that position. Secondly, this requires a healthy, structured, and systematic climate and support system, which starts as early as possible and is taught and practiced in the family and church.
Dinka,
Thank you for sharing the cultural perspectives in which you live. As you consider the NPO you are working through, how might you go about providing awareness about the importance of equal relations in marriage? What exciting work in the marriages of the people you serve!!!
Hi Cathy!
Thank you for your response. I must admit that this process is not easy to carry out in our context here. Awareness of equal relations in marriage has indeed increased, but moving towards the ideal still requires a long period of struggle.
What I can do is through pre-marriage classes, through sermons at marriage blessing services, as well as through counseling. Other things I do are pray for husbands and wives in the church so that they live in equal relationships happily and truly make God the head of their marriage.