Validity and Gender

In the context of research, validity is a construct that provides an empirical basis for making interpretations about test scores. Society assigns physical and psychological roles based on gender, which often become fused into a person’s identity. As such, identical raw scores on a test can have different meanings depending on one’s gender identity. Tests with unacknowledged gender bias can lead to discriminating scores for a particular group and distort test score use and interpretation. Test takers and users can control for gender bias through validity testing, measuring gender invariance, and using gender fair testing practices.