I wrote an editorial for *Bitch Planet*!
January 6, 2016
One of my favorite comic book series is Kelly Sue DeConnick and Valentine DeLandro's Bitch Planet, about a future where 'non-compliant' women are sent to the eponymous prison planet. The back of the comic is a community pace that includes editorials, artist profiles, letters, and more. I was so honored to be able to write an editorial for it, "Countering the Self-Fulfilling Prophecies of Gender Schemas," in which I talked about Virginia Valian's work on how we have mental models of men and women, and how even small gender biases can have a significant cumulative effect:
And the effects of these tiny, unconscious assumptions are cumulative. Because being professionally competent is not part of the gender schema for women, they're less likely to be listened to, to be given responsibility, and to have their successes recognized as a result of their own ability. Men (who are presumed to be professionally competent) are more likely to be given responsibility, which means more chances to prove themselves, which means they are more likely to be promoted--and the cycle continues.
Read the whole editorial here. [PDF]
More about Bitch Planet.
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