Diversity and Inclusion

Working together to make a difference!

What is Bias and Stereotyping?

Unconscious Bias

  • Unfair prejudice or unsupported judgments in favour of or against one thing, person, or group as compared to another
  • As a result, certain people benefit and other people are penalized

(Vanderbilt University, 2019)

Stereotyping

  • A standardized mental picture that is held in common by members of a group
  • Represents an oversimplified opinion, prejudiced attitude, or uncritical judgment

(Merriam-Webster, 2019)

Where do you stand?

The Harvard Implicit Bias Test is a great place to begin your learning journey about Cultural Competence in Health Care. We all have implicit bias and it is up to us to learn about those biases and work to overcome them.

Take the test here:

Thinking about Bias and Stereotyping


Questions to Consider:

  • What stereotypes and assumptions were revealed in the film?
  • How do bias, stereotyping and discrimination relate to difference?
  • How do stereotypes and bias relate to culture and the cultural iceberg?
  • How might stereotypes and bias impact health and care?
  • How can we reduce their impact?

References:

National Aboriginal Health Organization (NAHO) (2006). Fact Sheet: Cultural Safety. Retrieved from https://www.saintelizabeth.com/getmedia/970b1d43-688c-4bb7-9732-09cc8d1d1716/Cultural-Safety-Fact-Sheet.pdf.aspx?ext=.pdf July 2, 2019.

Northern Health, Indigenous Health (2019). Cultural Safety. Retrieved from https://www.indigenoushealthnh.ca/cultural-safety May 29, 2019.

Merriam-Webster (2019). Stereotype. Retrieved from https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stereotype May 29, 2019.

Vanderbilt University (2019). Unconscious Bias. Retrieved from https://www.vanderbilt.edu/diversity/unconscious-bias/ May 29, 2019.