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Paving the Way

Context of Psychology of
Women
Feminism
Research

Psychology/Psychology of
Women

Why a Psychology of
Women?

The lives of all of us, but particularly girls


and womens lives, are impacted by
gender, as are our behaviors, selfconcepts, relationships, etc.
Gender is NOT the same thing as biological
sex.
Gender is something we DO, not
something we ARE
Gender is often culturally determined

Language has power

You guys
Mr. & Mrs., his & hers, boys &
girls,
Master vs. mistress, player
vs. Ho
Male normative or Male-asnorm

Androcentric

Women viewed as deviation


from norm
Adam & Eve
History
Research
Psychology

Hetero-normative

Historical Contexts

1st Wave of Womens Movement:

Seneca Falls Declaration (1848) challenging assumptions of female


inferiority
1920s women won the right to vote and assumed?

2nd Wave 1960s: Era of challenging the status quo, recognition of


differences including race, culture, and gender, etc.

The American Psychological Association, under activist pressure,


recognized importance of difference through the establishment of
Division of Psychology of Women, Divisions on ethnic minority
Psychology, gay/lesbian issues, etc. Association for Women in
Psychology (AWP), Associations for Black, Latino, Native American
Psychologies also were created in this new awareness of how
understanding the contexts of human experience is foundational to
understanding human thoughts, values, beliefs and behaviors.
Kujichagulia: To define ourselves, name ourselves, create for ourselves,
and speak for ourselves, rather than being defined, named or spoken for
by someone else.
Colleges nationwide recognize need for Ethnic Studies Departments
1970: SDSU opens 1st Dept. of Womens Studies in U.S.

3 Wave
rd

Now,

ongoing
Activism and the Psychology of
Women are interwoven

Reproductive freedom
Sweatshop labor
Human Trafficking
Violence against girls and women
Integrating women into leadership positions

Where are we now?

In 2011, there are more women than men in both


undergraduate and graduate schools.*
Women have higher graduation rates at all academic
levels than men, yet... *
The gender pay gap continues: among those working
full time, women earn, on average, 80 cents for every
dollar men make.*
While science, math and technology careers are
dominated by men, women comprise two-thirds of
global graduates in the humanities. *
Women are disproportionately affected by certain types
of crime, particularly sexual victimization and intimate
partner violence.
*March 14, 2011 at http://legalmomentum.typepad.com/blog/2011/03/new-report-highlights-womensadvancements-and-persisting-inequities-in-the-united-states.html

Feminism has Various


Definitions
1.

2.
3.

The belief that women are valuable, and


that social change to benefit women is
necessary
The movement to end sexism and sexist
oppression (bell hooks)
The radical concept that women are
human beings!

A.
B.

C.

D.

E.

Liberal feminists emphasize similarities between female and


male (research socialization into gender roles, etc.)
Radical feminists emphasize male domination, control and
oppression of females throughout hx (research on violence
against women)
Women of color feminism (Womanism) focus on issues
associated with minority identities e.g. poverty, racism,
access to education, healthcare disparities, etc.
Cultural Feminism emphasizes differences between females
and males and how qualities associated with female have
been traditionally undervalued and taken for granted.
Global feminism has a focus on oppression and
discrimination against women occurs globally. It also
incorporates the awareness that western feminists dont
speak for women of all cultures, and that strategies for
change are often most effective coming from within the
specific culture

Feminist Perspectives Vary


Widely

Research

Quantitative: Statistically based on large groups,


results often can be generalized
Correlational: Determines whether two variables
are related, but doesnt determine causality
Qualitative: explores a topic in an open-ended
way, an intimate, in-depth look at a specific
phenomenon or experience through participants
thoughts, feelings, etc. Usually small sample
populations so results not easily generalizable
All methodologies are subject to limitations and
interpretation

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Toward Gender-Fair
Research

Bias is possible at any stage of research

Question formulation
Choosing participants
Analyzing the data: statistical data focus on significant
differences
Interpreting results: interpretation bias, over-generalizing,
publication bias, etc.

Can science ever be value-neutral?


Feminists acknowledge that social, historical and political
forces shape human behavior, and thus are important
considerations for psychologists (and the rest of us)
seeking to better understand women.
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