A starting level or condition that is used for comparison with later measurements or changes. In sports like tennis, it is the line at the back of the court.
It combines “base,” meaning foundation, with “line,” meaning a drawn or marked boundary. The term spread from physical lines in sports and mapping into scientific and everyday comparisons.
A baseline is like taking a “before” picture so you can measure the “after.” Once you notice this, you’ll see baselines everywhere—from health checkups to climate data to your own study habits.
'Baseline' in research and policy can hide gender bias when the reference group is implicitly male or excludes women's data. Historically, many medical and economic baselines were built on male samples, treating women's differences as deviations.
When using 'baseline,' specify whose data or norms it reflects and avoid assuming a single universal baseline applies to all genders. Encourage baselines that are disaggregated or inclusive where appropriate.
["reference point","starting value","benchmark"]
Women researchers and advocates have exposed biased baselines in fields like medicine and economics, pushing for data and standards that reflect diverse populations.
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