Gender Bias within Science is in the Eye of Beholder

I found this study through an article from the Science of Us that says men and women are not as equally accepting of evidence that points to gender bias in science. The results assert that men are more likely to evaluate research that shows gender bias less favorably than women.  And, on the flip side, women are more likely to favor studies that do show gender bias.

This conclusion came from three randomized, double-blind experiments where participants read an actual journal abstract that reported gender bias (or was altered to report no gender bias). The three experiements were performed involving samples from the general public and involving a sample of university STEM and non-STEM faculty. Interestingly the gender difference in evaluation of the experiment was large among STEM faculty and non-existent in non-STEM faculty.

The authors of the article write:

This finding is problematic because broadening the participation of underrepresented people in STEM, including women, necessarily requires a widespread willingness (particularly by those in the majority) to acknowledge that bias exists before transformation is possible.