Feminist Perspectives on Building a Better Psychological Science of Gender

This timely and thought-provoking collection explores the ways in which psychological science interacts with and addresses gender across varied subdisciplines in the field, from a feminist viewpoint. A particular aim of this volume is to move the conversation of gender in psychology beyond a difference-only paradigm. Veteran and emerging feminist scholars survey the handling of sex and gender issues across psychology, and describe how feminist perspectives and methodologies can and should be applied to enhance the field itself, but also in the service of social justice in the various cultures of corporations, academia, and the global stage. Contributions span theoretical advances, latest empirical findings, and real-world advocacy, with instructive and illuminating first-person accounts detailing challenges and rewards of feminist scholarship and practice in psychology. Throughout the volume, chapters document a dynamic field in its evolution from the traditional, two-dimensional study of gender-based differences to concerted multidisciplinary approaches, to cutting edge feminist theoretical and methodological advances such as intersectionality to understand gender in context.

The volume is divided into three distinct sections. The first covers current theory and research in psychological science that considers gender beyond a difference-only paradigm. Then, leading feminist scholars reflect upon their own experiences in their respective subdisciplines. Finally, the third section explores innovative best practices and applications for feminist psychological science. Highlights of the coverage:

• Beyond difference: Gender as a quality of social settings.

• Adventures in feminist health psychology: Teaching about and conducting feminist psychological science.

• Mind the thigh gap? Bringing feminist psychological science to the masses.

• Feminist psychologists and institutional change in universities.

With its stimulating compilation of theories, research, and applications, Feminist Perspectives On Building A Better Psychological Science of Gender is one of the most forward-thinking and innovative treatments of the field in recent years. It is a significant and important text for all psychologists, women’s and gender studies specialists, social science researchers, and all those interested in using evidence-based psychological science to create a more just and equitable world.

Tomi-Ann Roberts

Tomi-Ann Roberts is Professor and Chair of Psychology at Colorado College, where she teaches courses on gender, feminist research methodologies, personality and emotions. Her research focuses on the psychological consequences of the sexualization and objectification of girls and women. The first paper she co-authored on this topic is the most cited article in the 35-year history of the journal Psychology of Women Quarterly. She served on the American Psychological Association's Task Force on the Sexualization of Girls, is coauthor of the Sexualization of Girls and Girlhood: Causes, Consequences and Resistance (Oxford), and continues to work on both empirical research, applied consulting work, and advocacy efforts to improve the lives of girls and women by enhancing their relationship to their embodied selves.

Nicola Curtin

Nicola Curtin is an Assistant Professor of Psychology at Clark University and Visiting Research Associate at the Women’s Studies Research Center at Brandeis University. Her primary line of research examines the roles of life experiences, individual differences, and social identities in commitments to creating social change, with a particular emphasis on ally and coalitional activism. She explores the development of social change attitudes and behaviors across different social contexts, with a focus on United States identity-based rights activism. In a secondary line of research, she examines perceptions of fit and success in academia, focusing on the role of marginal statuses (such as being a working class or international student), advisor support, and academic and professional experiences among graduate students and post-doctoral fellows. In both lines of research she is concerned with how one’s social group membership can combine with other features of the social context to generate positive outcomes.

Lauren E. Duncan

Lauren E. Duncan is Professor of Psychology at Smith College. She earned degrees in Personality Psychology and Women's Studies and teaches courses in the Psychology of Women and Gender, Political Psychology, and the Psychology of Political Activism. Her research interests include understanding how social events shape people’s life outcomes and how individuals become motivated to change society or maintain the status quo. She is teaching a free MOOC (massive open online course) called Psychology of Political Activism: Women Changing the World on the edX platform and is currently working on a psychobiography of Gloria Steinem for an Oxford series on Inner Lives. She is a Fellow of the Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues (APA Division 9).

Lilia M. Cortina

Lilia M. Cortina is Professor of Psychology, Women’s Studies, and (by courtesy) Management & Organizations at the University of Michigan. Her research revolves around workplace victimization, which can range from subtle social slights to general disrespect to blatant harassment and violence. One line of this work addresses harassment based on sex, sexuality, and gender - focusing on the contours and consequences of harassing experiences. In another research stream, Lilia investigates workplace incivility: everyday rude, condescending, and ostracizing acts that violate social norms of respect. In addition, she periodically serves as an expert witness, translating findings from science to inform policy and legal decision-making surrounding sexual harassment. In recognition of unusual and outstanding contributions to the field, Professor Cortina has been named Fellow of the American Psychological Association and the Society for Industrial/Organizational Psychology.