JSConfEU: Unconscious Bias: we're all quilty

Slides from my talk at JSConfEU 2015

Transcript

2. Riddle A father and his son are in a car accident. The father dies at the scene and the son, badly injured, is rushed to the hospital. In the operating room, the surgeon looks at the boy and says, “I can’t operate on this boy. He is my son.”
3. Unconscious Bias: We’re all guilty Picture: Ryan Coners Lieke Boon @lieke2208 JSConf EU 2015 www.codepancake.com
4. VHTO: national expert organisation on girls / women & science / technology
 ▪ Mission: Increase the involvement of women and girls in science, technology, engineering, mathematics (STEM) and IT ▪ How: Activities throughout educational chain - primary, secondary and higher education.
5. ▪ Diversity: teams with more (gender) diversity have proven to be more creative, innovative and effective teams. ▪ Lack of women in tech: ▪ Loss of talent ▪ Loss of opportunity
6. % female students in STEM (higher) education (science, math, computing) in 2012
 Bron: ISCED 5-6, Eurostat Romania 52% Italy 52% Portugal 47% USA 43% Sweden 42% Poland 40% Finland 38% Iceland 37% EU (27) 37% GB 36% France 35% Germany 35% Denmark 34% Spain 33% Switzerland 33% Belgium 27% Japan 25% Netherlands 23%
7. Girls and IT: facts & figures ▪ Choice for science and technology by Dutch girls is far below the average in EU ▪ Brains of boys and girls are not the same, but both full with potential. ▪ To what extent that potential is fulfilled, and which talents it develops, is highly dependent on the stimulation their parents and teachers offer.
8. Girls and IT: facts & figures Self-image Girls think they perform worse than they actually do in STEM related subjects Environment Girls less stimulated by teachers, parents etcetera to develop STEM talents Unfamiliarity Girls have no (good) image of STEM education and professions (lack of role models)
10. Unconscious Bias We’re constantly overlooking much of the world around us and there’s actually nothing mysterious about it. • We receive 11 million of bits of information every day • We can only consciously process 40 bits Conclusion: Stuff gets broken while our brain is storing information & our objectivity is certainly clouded.
11. Gender Bias: Blind auditions Since the 1970’s, the number of women in orchestra’s went up from 5% to 25%, due to auditioning behind a curtain. https://www.princeton.edu/pr/pwb/01/0212/7b.shtml
12. Gender Bias ▪ Most people would agree that gender bias exists…in others ▪ All of us, myself included, are biased Based on a quote from Dana Chardon
13. • Explicit: how much science is associated with men or women • Implicit: how quickly words like ‘math’ and ‘physics’ are associated with ‘boy’ or ‘man’. Implicit Associations Test
14. Your data suggest a strong automatic association of Male with Science and Female with Liberal Arts.
15. Riddle A father and his son are in a car accident. The father dies at the scene and the son, badly injured, is rushed to the hospital. In the operating room, the surgeon looks at the boy and says, “I can’t operate on this boy. He is my son.”
19. Gender Bias could be a major threat ▪ Good news: Bias can be weakened ▪ Bad news: You can’t do it alone ▪ One of the key reasons why few girls study CS
20. Be aware that you’re biased Take the Implicit Associations Test
21. Use inclusive language
22. Hold yourself and others accountable: point it out
23. By the simple act of talking openly about behavioural patterns, it makes subconscious conscious Talking can transform minds, which can transform behaviours, which can transform communities, which can result in a better environment for (e.g) women in tech Based on quote from Sheryl Sandberg
24. Use your imagination: counter- program your brain
26. 1. Awareness: accept that you’re biased 2. Use inclusive language 3. Hold yourself and others accountable 4. Use your imagination: counter-program your brain
27. It’s not about programming: It’s about the way YOU are programmed
28. Thank you! VHTO www.vhto.nl Lieke Boon @lieke2208 JSConf EU 2015 www.codepancake.com