Decisions by the EEOC in favor of claimants perceived to have disabilities disproportionately exceeded those in favor of claimants with documented disabilities. This finding lends support to the assertion that unconscious/implicit bias is persistent in the workplace.

Stereotype threat is a psychological phenomenon that occurs when individuals become aware that their behavior could potentially confirm a negative stereotype. Though stereotype threat is a widely studied phenomenon in social psychology, there has been relatively little scholarship on it in philosophy, despite its relevance to issues such as implicit cognition, epistemic injustice, and diversity in philosophy. However, most psychological research on stereotype threat discusses the phenomenon by using an overly narrow picture of it, which focuses on one of its effects: the ability to hinder performance. As a result, almost all philosophical work on stereotype threat is solely focused on issues of performance too. Social psychologists know that stereotype threat has additional effects, such as negatively impacting individuals’ motivation, interests, long-term health, and even their sense of self, but these other effects are often downplayed, or even forgotten about. Therefore, the “standard picture” of stereotype threat needs to be expanded, in order to better understand the theoretical aspects of the phenomenon, and to develop broader, more effective interventions. This dissertation develops such an “expanded picture” of stereotype threat, which emphasizes how the phenomenon can negatively impact both self-identity and epistemic agency. In doing so, I explore the nature of stereotypes more generally and argue that they undermine groups’ moral status and contribute to what is called “ontic injustice.” I also show how stereotype threat harms members of socially subordinated groups by way of coercing their self-identity and undermining their epistemic agency, which I argue is a form of epistemic injustice. Lastly, I analyze the expanded picture’s implications for addressing the low proportion of women in professional philosophy. I critically engage recent arguments that these low numbers simply reflect different interests women have, which if innate or benign, would require no intervention. My expanded picture shows the mistakes in this sort of reasoning, which is also present in discussions on the underrepresentation of women in science. The expanded picture of stereotype threat that this dissertation develops is not only practically important, but also advances key philosophical debates in social epistemology, applied ethics, and social metaphysics.

Research has demonstrated that implicit bias is an inescapable part of the human experience that can have harmful repercussions. Its effects can be seen particularly in the criminal justice system where those of marginalized groups are disproportionately represented. Social workers in the public defender’s office representing indigent clients in the criminal justice system, implicit bias can negatively impact client outcomes or service access. This study sought to explore how these social workers understand implicit bias in their work and will be conducted using qualitative analysis through the use of interviews and document review. This research found that social workers in this setting identify in ways that are very different from their clients and view the resulting implicit bias as an important hurdle to overcome. Social workers reported that working with clients who are similar to them can increase rapport but also introduce issues of countertransference. When working with clients who are different from them, social workers found it most challenging to serve clients with worldviews they found personally offensive, such as homophobia or white supremacy. Social workers of more privileged identities found ways to leverage this advantage to best serve their clients. The participants in this study had mixed feelings on whether or not differences in identity between social workers and clients increase implicit bias or impact client outcomes. There are many larger factors that increase the risk of implicit bias, which participants feel can be mitigated with training and more diverse teams.

Racism in the United States is persistent and its negative effects are widespread. The social hierarchy in the United States positions White people as the dominant culture and Black people, among other races, as a minority culture. Current literature provides insight into explicit and implicit individual expressions of racism; however, very little research clarifies the effects racism has on the continuance and structure of the social race hierarchy. This study utilizes social gender hierarchy research to investigate how racism-induced hostility toward the dominant culture relates to an individual's perception of the stability of the race hierarchy. This quantitative survey study compared a prime versus a non-prime condition. In the prime condition, Black participants (n = 129) were presented with racist statements to elicit a "hostility toward White individuals" response. A 6-point Likert-type scale quantified participants' perceptions of the stability of the race hierarchy. A one-way between subjects ANOVA was conducted by comparing the perceived stability means as measured by the Race Hierarchy Scale. Contrary to expectation, the prime did not produce a statistically significant change in the perceived stability of the race hierarchy. The data did reveal a chronic individual perception of the race hierarchy as unchanging. This study contributes to positive social change by illuminating social structure aspects and how individual perception functions to maintain the race hierarchy in America. This knowledge will help direct future research, policy makers, the legal system, and the private sector. Attempting to understand the effects of racism from the perspective used in this study, may encourage other researchers to generate novel approaches and methods to combat discrimination.

abstract: The 2016 election brought to light a political climate change in the United States and showed that questions scholars and pundits alike thought were answered perhaps had not been completely addressed. For some, the main question left unanswered was what would it take for a woman to become President of the United States? For others, the question of fear politics and the effects of social media were raised. Perhaps, the most intriguing was exactly who has influence over US elections? While these, and other, questions were asked in the context of the presidential election, they are also applicable to all political races. This dissertation examines how voter perceptions based on stereotypes and racial threat can affect Latina candidates’ prospects for election. Using an online experiment with 660 subjects and two elite interviews to test four hypotheses in order to determine whether or not racial resentment and stereotypes play a role in voter perceptions of Latina political candidates. The results show that racial resent and gender stereotypes play a role in voter perception of Latina political candidates. The results have theoretical and practical implications. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Political Science 2018

Sports presents one of the most popular forms of entertainment in society, and sports media continues to expand its billion-dollar influence through new television deal and broadcasting rights. But with a population of journalists who are overwhelmingly white, straight, and male, sports media is promoting the hegemony of said image by reproducing stereotypes in its broadcasts to audiences around the country. Mainstream media regurgitates these stereotypes in their coverage of minority athlete by portraying black players as unintelligent or “thug”-ish, women as “butch”, and gay athletes as effeminate. These representations allow for the perpetuation of the white, heterosexual male narrative throughout society while sidelining those who do not fit the description. But just as sports media is growing in popularity, so too is the athlete activist. Starting in 2013, today’s athletic superstars are now using their exalted platforms to address societal issues and speak on behalf of marginalized groups that are often ignored or misrepresented by traditional media narratives. The efforts of Colin Kaepernick, Billie Jean King, and Jason Collins in fighting against the system and these stereotypes will reveal how certain athletes are represented in the media and their unique position of changing the discussion and inspiring others to challenge societal norms. The growing popularity of social media and its use as a tool for social activism will also be examined, particularly as it has revolutionized the culture of athlete activism.

Domestic abuse is “the willful use of an intimidating action [physical assault, battery, sexual assault, and/or other abusive behavior as part of a systematic pattern] to exert power and control perpetrated by one intimate partner against another” (“What Is Domestic Violence?”, 2016). For African American women in the United States, “some studies have found that negative racial and sexist stereotypes portray African American women as aggressors rather than as victims due to their perceived rough, aggressive, and outspoken characteristics. Because of these persistent stereotypes of African American survivors, police can mistake the victim as the aggressor, thus reducing the amount of legal action taken to aid them. The past and present domestic violence responses have little positive economic or social effects on African American survivors. This thesis argues for educational changes to improve the legal response from law enforcement agencies for African American survivors of domestic violence. Realistic solutions such as, changing the stereotypical image of African American survivors, having law enforcement agencies enforce laws in domestic violence cases, and incorporating mandatory implicit bias and cross cultural communication trainings in a variety of educational areas can help resolve the low amount of law enforcement being used for African American domestic violence victims, unconscious racism in courtrooms, and ineffective mandatory arrest policies.

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With racism driving perinatal health disparities, antiracist tools and trainings are necessary for WIC nutrition professionals who serve as frontline providers for Black and Indigenous families of color. Black families, in particular, are the most likely to experience harms from discrimination in health care and health services, even from well-intentioned providers in caring professions. This thesis investigates the role of racism, both interpersonal and structural, and how it may influence WIC enrollment, participation and culture of care. After providing a basic overview about WIC including recent participation and demographic statistics and trends, I share my own ethnographic observations and reflections on my positionality in the WIC clinic setting. I review research on the most commonly identified barriers to and benefits from WIC participation, including how those benefits intersect with contributing factors in the crisis in Black perinatal health in the United States, and make the case for including experiences of bias and racism as an overlooked barrier. With a focus on improving the client experience, I use an urban bioethics lens to inform strategies (including antiracism training for WIC staff) to increase and sustain WIC participation and the concomitant benefits participation can incur, particularly for Black mothers and birthing people and their families. I review the literature that informed our training, describe key components of the training, and summarize the findings from the evaluation and assessment of the WIC nutrition professionals who attended. Lastly, I posit how the convergence of COVID-19 and the racial justice uprisings of 2020, both accelerated the acceptance of the need for innovations in how WIC is implemented, and created the conditions to facilitate rapid changes towards more equitable policies and procedures at both the local and federal level. Many of these changes were previously thought to be desirable but unattainable, and I reflect on the need to seize this opportunity to intentionally build upon that progress by applying a racial equity framework to envision a post-pandemic WIC. / Urban Bioethics