unconscious bias

Changing Media to Empower Girls, with Madeline Di Nonno, Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media

The Geena Davis Institute on Gender in the Media is a research-driven organization that is changing media to empower girls. While watching television with her daughter, Geena Davis noticed that women were not well represented. She was concerned about the messages that were being sent to her daughter and to her twin boys. Geena launched a research project and was disturbed by what she found. In 2009, Geena met with Madeline Di Nonno, a 30-year veteran of the entertainment industry. Together, they launched the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in the Media. Here is what they found. Women and girls make up 51% of the population and yet, if you…

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My Unconscious Bias

I had no idea that I had an unconscious bias. I thought that I was being even-handed in having an equal number of women and men as guests on the podcast, Social Entrepreneur. Then, early in 2016, I counted. I was shocked. At the time, only 40% of my guests were women. I had no idea. That’s the problem with unconscious bias. I was not conscious of it. Data helps. Until I had data, I was not aware. So, I refocused. By episode 100, counting all the way back to episode one, 46% of my guests were women. Today, at episode 143, a little more than 48% of our guests…

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