Toolkit 2: What is bias, prejudice and discrimination?
The objective of toolkit 2 is to introduce bias awareness as a key component when applying Gender-based Analysis Plus (GBA Plus). Specifically, challenging assumptions is a way to reduce and prevent bias, prejudice or discrimination from entering the analysis.
Recognizing where and when bias, prejudice, or discrimination exist is part of intersectional analysis, and therefore, GBA Plus. Bias, prejudice, or discrimination contribute to the inequalities, challenges, and barriers that people and communities encounter.
To learn more about bias, prejudice and discrimination, watch the video on bias awareness.
Prejudice and/or discrimination are also associated with various social identity factors and connect with intersectional analysis through the systems of power.
| Social identity factor | System of power (form of prejudice/discrimination) |
|---|---|
| Indigeneity | Colonialism |
| Gender | Sexism, transphobia |
| Sexual orientation | Homophobia, heterosexism |
| Age | Ageism |
| Disability | Ableism |
| Socio-economic status | Classism |
| Ethnicity/race | Ethnocentrism, racism, anti-Semitism |
| Citizenship/immigration | Xenophobia |
| Religion | Islamophobia |
Recognizing bias, prejudice, or discrimination enables us to create countermeasures to minimize their impact or occurrence. Identifying where bias may exist is part of Steps 1, 2 and 3 of the GBA Plus process, so that we can develop options to address and eliminate them — also known as debiasing. As such, applying GBA Plus is a tangible way that we can contribute towards positive culture evolution.
Debiasing techniques
Below are some techniques you can use to challenge your assumptions and reduce the influence of bias in your decisions:
- Understand that bias exists and how it can show in your life
- Increase self-awareness and emotional intelligence (EQ)
- Expand our mindsets to counter bias, such as using GBA Plus to challenge assumptions
- Create a safer space for discussion, feedback and growth
- Commit to inclusion and cultivating inclusive behaviours
Bias awareness: Self-reflection exercise
Remember: social identity factors are the various aspects of our identity that make every person unique and diverse, as visually represented by the social identity factors wheel. Understanding social identity factors in ourselves, our colleagues and the people and communities we interact with is a key part of conducting GBA Plus.
Prejudice or discrimination are also associated with various social identity factors and connects with intersectional analysis through the systems of power. Research has found that everyone has a bias. As such, it is everyone’s responsibility to ensure that we are aware of our biases in order to reduce its influence, impact and occurrences.
Review the social identity factors wheel and bias awareness lexicon, then answer the following questions:
- What biases do you know about or have encountered that society may have about the military?
- In what ways are these biases based upon false impressions or information?
- What biases do you know about or have encountered within the Defence environment?
- What social identity factors are these biases related to?
- In what ways are these biases based upon false impressions or information?
- In what ways could your social identity factors and lived experiences influence your assumptions or unconscious biases?
Important note
This is a private and solo exercise. Being aware of how biases and assumptions may potentially show up is an important step towards addressing and eliminating it in the workplace. Knowing this can inform our interactions to better align with the Defence Team core values of respect, integrity, accountability, inclusion, excellence, courage, and loyalty.
Bias awareness during GBA Plus: Job aid
GBA Plus provides a framework to challenge assumptions and reduce the influence of bias. Here are some suggestions on how to be aware of bias while applying GBA Plus.
- Be aware of your own lived experiences and social identity factors.
- Consider potential assumptions you may have based on your lived experiences and seek out input from another perspective or experience.
- Consider how organizational priorities and culture (including norms, assumptions and biases) may impact your perspective, approach, and work on the analysis.
- Use qualitative and quantitative data to challenge assumptions. Seek out data related to specific populations, also known as disaggregated data, as much as possible.
- Reflect on your data and information sources. Expand and diversify who is considered an expert and what is viewed as credible.
- Identify and engage with people, groups and communities that may have been overlooked in the past, have been traditionally marginalized, disengaged or disadvantaged.
- To the extent possible, directly engage with affected populations. If not possible, ensure that perspectives of people and communities with diverse lived experiences are included in the analysis.
- Work on the analysis in the context of a team. Aim to include a diversity of experiences and perspectives.
- Demonstrate inclusive behaviours throughout the process, both with internal and external stakeholders.
- Validate findings, options, actions and results with the appropriate cultural insights to ensure interpretations and assessments are accurate, meaningful and respectful.
Bias awareness: Learning application
Of the suggestions in the job aid, to mitigate the influence of bias when conducting GBA Plus, which can you commit to integrating in your own work practices?
Based on the debiasing techniques and the Aide-memoire on inclusive behaviours and the CAF competency dictionary (accessible only on the National Defence network), which inclusive behaviours can you include in a Performance and Competency Evaluation (PaCE), as a way to expand your mindset, challenge assumptions, address bias, and contribute to a respectful, safe and healthy work environment?
Bias awareness: Reinforce learning
Read the Recruiting Centre scenario and complete the exercises.
Scenario: Welcoming visitors at a Recruiting Centre
The CDS/DM Directive for CAF Reconstitution was launched in October 2022, and significant work and focus has been set into motion to ensure that the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) have enough trained and supported personnel for operational readiness. Central to these efforts is to ensure that all members are treated with dignity and respect, as this influences both recruitment and retention.
The CAF also aims to build a force that is comprised of members who reflect the rich diversity of Canada and who are encouraged to contribute through their unique experiences, abilities, and perspectives within a respectful and inclusive environment. CAF recruitment efforts, therefore, are increasingly focused on promoting a more diverse armed forces that is representative of Canadian society.
Imagine that you recently received your posting message to work at a Canadian Forces Recruiting Centre (CFRC) in an urban location. CFRCs play a critical role in recruitment efforts as they can be the first point of contact for prospective recruits and a source of important information.
When you arrived at the recruiting centre, you received a briefing that the COVID-19 pandemic created challenging conditions for many employers. The pandemic worsened pre-existing recruiting shortfalls within DND/CAF. For Fiscal Year 2022/2023, the CAF planned to onboard 5,900 new members. However, it received only half the number of applicants per month required to achieve that goal.
Your team was tasked to review the results from the 2022 Report of the Standing Committee on National Defence, Modernizing Recruitment and Retention in the Canadian Armed Forces, with a particular focus on the findings below to develop recommendations on how to make the centre more welcoming.
Report findings:
- There was not enough diversity within the recruiters as a group.
- Training on issues such as unconscious bias was insufficient.
- Recruiters were less engaged when responding to questions from women about serving in the infantry.
- Racialized applicants received unprompted questions about their citizenship status and felt that an assumption was made that they are not from Canada.
- Potential applicants who wore religious garments such as hijabs or turbans were told that they will have to remove these garments in order to join.
- Inquiries were dismissed from potential applicants when they disclosed that they have a disability, regardless of what their disability may be and what role they were interested in.
- Review the social identity factors wheel, then identify the social identity factors that are mentioned in the scenario.
- Identify some of the relevant social identity factors that are related to the systems of power mentioned in the scenario, specifically highlighted as barriers in the Committee Report.
- Review the Aide-memoire on inclusive behaviours and the CAF competency dictionary (accessible only on the National Defence network) and debiasing techniques, then determine which inclusive behaviours can be applied as countermeasures to ensure that recruitment centres are welcoming. These countermeasures can help increase the number of visitors and better reach potential applicants.
- Review the bias awareness job aid, then identify which suggestions you could apply to reduce the influence of bias when conducting GBA Plus to develop recommendations for making recruitment centres more welcoming in the scenario.
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