Doctor or Film Star?
I am putting all my cards up front. Sway: Unravelling Unconscious Bias by Pragya Agarwal was a depressing read for me. Dr. Agarwal is a behavioral and data scientist who writes and speaks about the impacts of unconscious bias in numerous arenas and specializes in gender. Although the book covered other topics, I chose to go more deeply into the subject of gender. Agarwal purports not to present a pessimistic view of the biases that shape our lives. Still, the recency of study after study related to gender left me feeling that it’s just not going very well.[1] In addition, I was very recently shocked to discover deep-seated gender bias in myself. Making matters worse, the Epilogue entitled “De-biasing 101” was short, and the suggestions scant. This blog will compare and contrast two experiences with gender bias in my personal life. One was when I thought I had it all figured out, and the other revealed the depths of my bias. I will conclude by discussing how our leadership studies equipped me with the tools to take a step toward positive change in myself.
On the Subject of Names
Twenty-five years ago, I did not have the benefits of this program’s reading, but I did have some experience. I knew that names matter, so I intentionally sought gender-neutral names for my daughters. The example I shared with my husband was that a name like “Candy” would probably stereotype them into specific roles. I wanted them to be able to choose their futures rather than being pushed into the biased boxes of others. Despite the decisions made long ago, it was surprising to read how one’s name can radically influence whether or not a resume will result in an interview. Identical resumes receive different responses depending on whether the name seems female vs. male, black, white, or Hispanic. Bias even exists against names that sound old or seem unfamiliar.[2]
One way to understand why this happens is to recall System 1 thinking. Human brains utilize many shortcuts to make sense of the enormous amounts of data we process daily.[3] System 1 thinking uses pattern identification to sort things into categories, thus simplifying the complex quickly. Unfortunately, complex decisions are then made according to a rationale that is too simple. Because our language and culture share stereotypes and generalizations, biased thinking is repeatedly reinforced.
Recognizing I Remain Part of the Problem
The week before reading Sway, I called to connect with a new primary care physician. I discovered my first choice of doctor was not accepting new patients, but they referred me to her colleague. On being told the colleague’s name, I briefly considered saying I would keep looking. Jesus and colleagues, please forgive me, but my first thought was, “She sounds like a porn star.” When I looked at her bio, my second thought was, “She looks like one, too.”[4] Then I noticed how young she is, and I seriously considered calling and canceling my appointment.
De-Biasing Myself
The “soft” leadership skills I did not value previously allowed me to keep the appointment. First, mindfulness allowed me to recognize my feelings and that their source was System 1 thinking.[5] I had sorted the doctor by her name, appearance, and age into a mental category like “bimbo.” I was able to pause and engage System 2 with the question, “Is my judgment the result of nearly six decades of Marilyn Monroe movies, Baywatch, and the Anna Nicole Smith scandal?”
The second skill I engaged was empathy. I asked myself, “How would it feel to know that a patient did not make appointments based on her name, looks, and age?” Agarwal would call this approach an attempt at de-automatization and perspective-taking.[6] Even though I remained a bit uncomfortable with her age, I decided to keep the appointment as an intentional effort at “prejudice-breaking.” I acted as Agarwal recommends by actively intervening to break the stereotype in my mind.[7] I hope this public admission of drawing out my own unconscious bias will serve as an example of ongoing attempts to become an undefended leader. I am humbly admitting a fault and showing trust in the group so I can heal and move on.[8]
Today, I spoke with a woman clergy member in my denomination, one of three final candidates for a lead pastor position. She is super qualified, and the congregation is open to having a woman pastor. I privately wondered if her name might be a problem. It is Chrissy.
[1] Pragya Agarwal, Sway: Unravelling Unconscious Bias (London: Bloomsbury Publishing, 2020), 20, Kindle Edition.
[2] Agarwal, Sway, 321-334, Kindle Edition.
[3] Agarwal, Sway, 27, Kindle Edition.
[4] Agarwal, Sway, 79, Kindle Edition.. The author cites a study indicating that women tend to be viewed as a collection of body parts and men tend to be viewed as a whole person.
[5] Agarwal, Sway, 27, Kindle Edition. Agarwal reference System 1 and System 2 thinking per Daniel Kahneman, Thinking Fast and Slow, (New York: Farrar, Strauss and Giroux, 2011) in her description of how we rapidly sort information into categories based on previous experiences.
[6] Agarwal, Sway, 383, Kindle Edition.
[7] Ibid.
[8] Simon Walker, Leading Out of Who You Are: Discovering the Secret of Undefended Leadership, (Carlisle, UK, Piquant, 2007), 55.
About the Author
Julie O'Hara
14 responses to “Doctor or Film Star?”
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Julie,
Thanks for your post and I was laughing along the way. Have you had the appointment yet, were your initial inhibitions justified?
I appreciate your upfront honesty about the book and experiences. I also was really interested in the name aspect of the book. One of my daughters names is Mahlet and even now half of our extended family can’t pronounce it correctly. (The ‘h’ has an invisible ‘a’ after it. Ma-ha-let). I am certain it has been a frustration for her.
I also appreciate that you brought in empathy into this discussion. How might empathy affect your leadership as your engage in the seeking a final candidate?
Julie, I loved your blog! I, too, want to know the outcome of the doctor’s appointment. You give excellent, personal examples of how to deal with biases. What are ways you can bring this same awareness to your leadership team?
Not yet on the appointment! I probably won’t have further interaction with that candidate. Here are some thoughts I have about being a woman clergy leader though. I need to lead in two directions. I can lead “up” when I notice language and behavior that unconsciously sidelines women. I have many opportunities to do this and have learned to comment on the behavior, not the person, in a pretty non-threatening way. Second, I continue to advocate for excellence and self-awareness among women clergy so they can be ‘themselves’ AND minimize behaviours that feed into stereotypes.
Hi Julie, Thank you for sharing your personal journey. Do you wish there was something alse that could have been added to the book to give it a more well rounded perspective?
Hi Diane, I hesistate to answer because I truly only did inspectional reading this week – there might be something in there that would be more satisfying. I like charts and graphs. I would have enjoyed a way to visualize progress in the area of gender bias. For example, in my denomination in 2000 only 2% of churches had women as lead pastor. Today that number is over 15%. Sure, there is a lot of work to do, but we are underway and making way.
Thanks for diving into gender, Agarwal’s primary field. It seems from your examples that there may be other elements beyond gender in your self-assessment of bias. Has this book helped to connect any others for you?
For me, the system 1 trigger I faced while reading your hesitation with the doctor was this. I thought the medical doctor’s name that triggered you was going to be from African or South-Asian origin, as that is the prejudice raging North of the border. I have a growing advocacy for matters of cultural bias. Now to address my classism…
Oh Dear. Your reply just revealed another bias. If the doctors name HAD been South Asian I would have assumed they were a good doctor. Apparently I am biased in favor of South Asian doctors. As for African, I don’t feel any “Sway” one way or the other – see what I did there? You are right about me encountering multiple biases in the doctor scenario. I recognize that I can be biased against appearance with a false belief it equals less intelligence. Sway contained some studies (pp277-279 on the Kindle) that attractive women may be considered less intelligient in male dominated fields. Agarwal comments that this type of bias is connected to belief that highly attractive people are more self-centered – I connect with that thought. The doctor had bleached and straightened hair. That takes a lot of time and effort and I was judging her for it.
Julie, as you wrestle with your own biases and actively work toward de-biasing, how do you approach the ongoing challenge of self-awareness in leadership? Specifically, in situations where your biases are not immediately apparent (like your experience with the doctor or the potential woman pastor), how can leaders ensure they’re not unknowingly reinforcing stereotypes or bias in their decisions?
Hi Chad,
We need to slow down and ask questions in conversation with other leaders. Another tactic is to question self on areas that are common for bias, e.g., race and gender. Finally, I believe it helps to speak it (or blog it) when we recognize biase in ourselves. That can help break the pattern and build new pathways in the mind.
Julie! Thank you for your transparency. I think we all at some point or another have a story of similar sorts we can recall where we became suspect/ biased in our thinking.
Concerning the hot button topic of women in ministry, how do you address these matters of concern with people who walk in an opposite frame of though knowing that they may be heavily weighed in bias?
Hi Daren, I know this is a much discussed topic but for me it has nearly never come up. I can only think of one time in 11 years of full time ministry and that was a pastor in my own denomination who had beef with me over something else and even then he brought it in sideways.
Generally, my position is not to bring it up or make an issue. I attend lots of things in rooms with people who probably think I shouldn’t be there as clergy. I just try to represent Jesus well.
Great read Julie. Thanks for your honesty.
I think it’s interesting that you noticed gender bias in yourself. Did that surprise you? In what ways, specifically.
Also, how has your perspective on gender bias evolved since you first recognized it in yourself, and what steps do you plan to take moving forward?
Hi Debbie,
I think my bias was mostly about her name, age and appearance, BUT – there is no scenario in which those things would combine for me to say a male doctor seemed like a porn star. (Can I interject here that I have never watched a movie so how would I know?) So, you are right, it is gender bias. I also recognize that I have written off many people (women) because of their looks. Here is a sincere next step: I will intentionally have a conversation with a person I didn’t give much of a chance because of her lip-filler. This string of blog responses has helped me recognize that I am completely biased against people (women) who get cosmetic enhancements
Hi, Julie, thank you for your post. I appreciate how you led us into ‘De-Biasing’ ourselves through the illustrations in you personal experiences and by incorporating ‘mindfulness’ and ’empathy.’ If you are mentoring an individual in a leadership position, how would you relate ‘mindfulness’ and ’empathy?’ Thank you, Julie.