Avoiding Letting Unconscious Biases Prevail 

Topics Covered: Unconscious biases, gender-based violence (GBV), sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV), socioeconomic impacts. 

Unconscious biases, also known as cognitive shortcuts, are a phenomenon that has been studied by psychologists for years. They are automatic thoughts that the human brain uses to process information more quickly, hence the idea of shortcuts. While they serve an adaptive function, these biases are not always beneficial. They are associated with and shaped by positive or negative emotions related to a person or an event, which we eventually link to an entire group. Unconscious biases are internalized stereotypes that we develop, for instance, through gendered socialization. They can have a significant impact on our social, relational, and professional lives, as well as on our decision-making and actions. These biases lead us to judge a person favourably or unfavourably without any objective reason.^{1, 2 and 4} 

Unconscious biases also influence how a psychosocial worker receives and interprets the accounts of survivors of sexual violence. Similarly, they can lead a career counselor, for instance, to avoid suggesting professions perceived as male-dominated—such as electrical engineering, mechanics, or carpentry—to a woman seeking guidance. Finally, unconscious biases also play a role in an employer’s decision to favour the resumes of male candidates over female candidates for traditionally male-dominated jobs.³ 

It Is Important to Recognize Our Own Biases 

Understanding our own biases is essential in order to become aware of their impact on our decision-making, which, in turn, influences others. 

What Are Unconscious Biases? 

Unconscious biases can be linked to our personal experiences or to the groups we belong to. These biases are influenced by systems of oppression, including sexism, racism, ageism, heteronormativity, cisnormativity, ableism, and colonialism.¹ Here are a few examples^{1 and 4}: 

Unconscious Biases Related to the Individual 

• Blind Spot Bias: The tendency to recognize biases in others more easily than in ourselves. 

• First Impression Bias: The tendency to rely on initial impressions without questioning their accuracy and using them as a reference in future interactions. 

• Illusory Truth Bias: The tendency to believe information to be true simply because we’ve heard it before. 

• Negativity Bias: The tendency to focus more on negative aspects rather than positive ones. 

• Stereotype Bias: The tendency to judge individuals based on overgeneralized stereotypes associated with their group. 

Unconscious Biases Related to Group Belonging 

• Confirmation Bias: The tendency to seek out information that confirms our existing beliefs while ignoring what is contradictory to one’s beliefs. 

• Similarity Bias: The tendency to favour people who have similar characteristics or attributes to us. 

• False consensus effect: The tendency to overestimate the quantity of people that agree with our way of thinking and to overvalue it. 

• Transparency/Understanding Illusion Bias: The belief that we can assess someone’s mental state or ability to complete a task without directly verifying with them. 

How to Overcome Them 

For professionals working in professional development or those who have influence over employees within an organization (such as human resources personnel, managers, etc.), it is crucial to recognize unconscious biases and implement strategies. The goal is to limit their impact and gradually deconstruct them. 

With this in mind, the YWCA recommends: 

• Taking the time for self-reflection to identify one’s own unconscious biases. 

• Analyzing whether these biases have positive or negative effects on a community. 

• Identifying the origin and purpose of these biases. 

• Developing strategies to reduce their impact and limit their influence on daily actions and interactions. 

Raising awareness of unconscious biases requires deep introspection, time, and honesty. However, this process is essential to making fairer, more neutral, and therefore more equitable decisions. 

Additional Strategies 

• Seeking an outside perspective: A third-party opinion can help identify biases we may not be aware of. 

• Defining objective, inclusive, and gender-neutral criteria in advance: This strategy is especially important in recruitment and career guidance to ensure individuals are directed toward suitable academic or professional paths without bias. 

• Continuous learning: Engaging in training, staying informed about social issues, and reassessing one’s privileges. 

• Self-questioning: Creating a list of questions to evaluate whether one’s judgment is biased or neutral. For example, “what influenced my assessment of this person, and why?” 

Above all, it is essential to adopt a compassionate attitude toward oneself and those around us. Biases are inherent to our social and cognitive systems but recognizing them is the first step toward building a more just, fair, and inclusive society. 

References :  

1. Brière, S., Auclair, I., Keyser-Verreault, A., Laplanche, L., Pulido, B., Savard, B., St-George, J., & Stockless, A. (2022). Biais inconscients et comportements inclusifs dans les organisations. Presses de l’Université Laval. https://www.pulaval.com/libreacces/9782763752716.pdf 

2. Gauvreau, C. (2021, 11 janvier). Reconnaitre les biais cognitifs. Actualité UQAM. https://actualites.uqam.ca/2021/reconnaitre-biais-cognitifs-pour-mieux-contourner/ 

3. Gouvernement du Québec. (19 décembre 2024). Emplois dans certaines catégories professionnelles. https://statistique.quebec.ca/vitrine/egalite/dimensions-egalite/travail/emplois-certaines-categories-professionnelles?onglet=ensemble-de-la-population  

4. Psychomédia. (2015, 22 février). 30 biais cognitifs qui nuisent à la pensée rationnelle. https://www.psychomedia.qc.ca/psychologie/biais-cognitifs