Study Reveals Unconscious Bias in Perception of Black Women
The question of whether Black women face harsher judgment than their white counterparts surfaced powerfully during the U.S. Open when tennis icon Serena Williams received penalties, notably after expressing frustration over an accusation. As Tobi Oredein highlighted in the Independent, “There is still an unfair assumption that black people, and black women in particular, can’t achieve greatness.”
While not directly addressing that specific incident’s complexities, recent research offers insight into potentially biased perceptions. This study suggests that, under certain conditions, white individuals may be more likely to both sexually objectify and perceive Black women as less than fully human compared to white women. Such unconscious biases can significantly shape beliefs and behaviors. Joel Anderson, a psychologist at Australian Catholic University and lead researcher, along with his team, writes in the Psychology of Women Quarterly that “The dehumanization and objectification of black women still persists today, albeit more subtly [than in past decades],” expressing hope that “this evidence will increase awareness that objectification can happen outside the realm of conscious thought.”
Unpacking the Research on Objectification and Dehumanization
The researchers conducted three distinct studies to explore these unconscious perceptions.
Study 1: Eye Tracking Reveals Objectification
In the first study, 38 white American university students participated in an eye-tracking experiment. They viewed 20 images of women, half white and half Black, with half of each group dressed in bikinis and the other half in casual tops and pants. Participants viewed each image for eight seconds and then rated the woman’s warmth and competence. The eye-tracking data precisely recorded where viewers focused and for how long.
The primary finding showed a significant difference in gaze patterns when participants viewed the bikini-clad women. They “spent longer fixating on the sexualized body parts of black targets compared to white targets,” specifically dedicating more time to gazing at the breasts and groin regions of Black women. Notably, the majority of participants were female, indicating this wasn’t solely a male-driven phenomenon, and the women in the photos were rated as equally attractive regardless of race. The researchers link this finding to the “Jezebel stereotype,” suggesting that sexualized portrayals contribute more significantly to the objectification of Black women than white women.
Serena Williams at the 2010 Australian Open, serving during a match.
Studies 2 & 3: Implicit Association Tests and Dehumanization
The second and third studies involved a larger sample of 251 white Americans recruited online. These participants completed an Implicit Association Test (IAT), a tool designed to measure the strength of automatic associations between mental concepts. In this case, photos of Black and white women were paired with words categorized as relating to humans, animals, or inanimate objects. Participants had less than a second to determine if the word was congruent with the image.
The results indicated that “Black women were more strongly implicitly associated with animal and object concepts, which indicates their greater dehumanization compared to white women.” This suggests an unconscious cognitive link where Black women are implicitly perceived as less human than white women.
Implications and Acknowledged Limitations
Anderson and his colleagues point out that such unconscious perceptions can have tangible consequences in the real world. They note the relevance of their findings in contexts like elections, particularly with a record number of women of color running for office. Previous research has shown that objectified women are less likely to be voted for, a disadvantage that this study suggests may disproportionately affect Black female candidates compared to their white counterparts due to these biased perceptions.
However, the researchers are careful to mention the limitations of their work. The first study had a small sample size, and the validity and interpretation of the Implicit Association Test used in the other studies have been questioned within the psychological community. They emphasize that this research provides preliminary evidence.
Nevertheless, the study offers compelling support for the idea that unconscious biases related to both race and gender impact how Black women are perceived. It suggests that when a Black woman feels she is being treated unfairly, whether on a global stage like a tennis match or in daily life, her feelings may be rooted in subtle yet pervasive societal biases documented by psychological research.
References:
- Anderson, J. R., Boucher, K. L., & Miles, C. E. (2018). Evidence for the Sexual Objectification and Dehumanization of Black Women. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 42(4), 467–477.
- Oredein, T. (2018, September 11). Serena Williams is right, black women face discrimination in tennis just like they do in everyday life. The Independent. Retrieved from https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/us-open-serena-williams-carlos-ramos-naomi-osaka-a8530156.html
- Resnick, B. (2018, September 10). The controversy over Serena Williams’s US Open penalties, explained. Vox. Retrieved from https://www.vox.com/2018/9/10/17837598/serena-williams-us-open-umpire-carlos-ramos
- Link to Implicit Association Test information
- Link discussing women of color candidates
- Link discussing objectification and voting
- Link questioning IAT validity
