Gender biases affecting sociological research

Gender Inequality in Sociological Research
Sociology is not exempt from the many gender biases our world still faces. Androcentricity is evaluating a topic from a male focused point of view; unfortunately our society is still guilty of this in many ways (Macionis, 2013, p.20). It is just one of the ways that sociological research can be affected by gender and the inequality that still surrounds us. Females tend to be generalized as the more beautiful, social and emotional of the genders this can feed in to stereotypes which leave us not taken seriously in business or academic worlds (Long, 2011). When conducting research it is very possible that a female sociologist could be taken less seriously than a male, especially by conservative men who view women in a more domestic role (Long, 2011). Another issue in sociological research is overgeneralization, which is when research is not gathered equally from both genders, but then the conclusions are applied to all sexes (Macionis, 2013, p.20). I believe that overgeneralization is one of the most common missteps when completing research, because information is always taken from a smaller sample of society, therefore if genders aren’t properly represented results and conclusions can be skewed. Taking heed to conduct sociological research from a stance of gender equality can allow for a more accurate investigation, and if it is research focused on one specific gender it must be documented as such (Macionis, 2013, p.21).
Works Cited
Del Mar College, Gender Inequality, Long, Russ, August 21, 2011, September 12, 2013, http://dmc122011.delmar.edu/socsci/rlong/problems/chap-9.html
Macionis, J. Society: The Basics. Twelfth Edition. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson Education, Inc. 2013, 2011, 2009