GENDER BIAS IN COURTROOM DYNAMICS

Respondents to numerous surveys about courtroom interaction have ident ified gender bias as a serious problem in the courts. Consistently, wo men perceive more bias than do men. To explore the importance of gende r, role (judge vs. attorney), experience with bias, and age in predict ing perceptions of gender bias in the courtroom, we conducted secondar y analyses of data from a survey of judges and attorneys in Illinois. Three dimensions of bias were identified: Presence of Bias, Optimism ( belief that bias is decreasing), and Instrumental Bias (use of biased behavior as a trial tactic). Although role, age, and experience had so me importance in explaining the scores on these three factors, gender offered the greatest predictive power. Implications for future researc h and for ending bias in courtroom interaction are discussed.