Scientists from the University of New Mexico found that people are more likely to harm men than women for the greater good. The results of the research were published at: magazine Archives of Sexual Behavior.
Researchers have suggested that people may be biased towards supporting social interventions if one gender harms the other.
To examine gender bias in the acknowledgment of instrumental harm, researchers conducted a series of three studies involving more than 200 Americans. All experiments involved tests in which participants had to rate the harm of interventions.
For example, participants were introduced to an employee intervention program aimed at improving a toxic work environment. They were randomly assigned to one of two gender conditions in which male or female workers were harmed by the program. Participants were asked to rate the acceptability of the program.
The results showed that people tend to exhibit gender bias, preferring harms directed at men over women in a variety of contexts.
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