Describing content, systems, or perspectives that disproportionately favor, represent, or address the experiences and viewpoints of men over women, non-binary individuals, or other genders. This bias can manifest in various forms, including the language used, the selection of characters or subjects, the prioritization of male concerns, and the perpetuation of traditional gender roles. It often reflects or reinforces societal norms that privilege men and can lead to the marginalization or exclusion of other genders. The term highlights a systemic imbalance, indicating an unintentional or intentional tilt toward male-centric viewpoints, even when not explicitly stated as such. It considers the relative lack of representation of other genders. The intent of the term is to expose and challenge these biases for equitable consideration. This also includes things which reinforce hegemonic masculinity at the expense of other versions of masculinity.
Male-slanted meaning with examples
- The film's casting choices are overwhelmingly male, with female characters serving primarily as love interests or supporting roles. Its male-slanted narrative structure focuses on the male protagonist's journey, ignoring the potential stories of other characters, and perpetuating a traditionally gendered archetype. The lack of diverse female characters and depth to them is obvious.
- The scientific research paper is overwhelmingly male-slanted, with all its participants being male, which undermines its applicability to a broader population, ignoring the different physical and societal factors of women and other genders. This omission creates a significant research bias and limits the validity and broader implications of the findings for women.
- Many history textbooks are male-slanted, primarily focusing on male leaders, inventors, and military figures, while significantly downplaying the contributions of women and other genders. This skewed representation creates a biased understanding of history and the contributions of those who were underrepresented at the time the events occurred.
- The workplace policies within the company are male-slanted. The company offers amenities that mostly focus on men's experiences and not all genders, which impacts employee satisfaction and productivity, resulting in a potential lack of diversity or even an actively hostile environment for employees outside of the predominant gender. This impacts equal opportunity.
- The user interface for the technology is male-slanted; by only providing features designed for the way men primarily use technology, the technology may be difficult to use and not at all efficient for other genders, which can lead to a lack of customer base and negative customer reviews. It prioritizes men's typical ways of use.