Drawn from a brilliant array of voices primarily from psychology, but also from other social sciences and humanities, this unique reader of creative and intellectually provocative essays investigates the social construction of gender. For the past several decades, those involved with the study of the psychology of women and gender have been struggling for recognition within the framework of psychology. This volume brings together the writings from psychology, philosophy, psychoanalysis, history, women's studies, education and sociology that critique mainstream thinking and exemplify new ways of creating inquiry.
Rich, original, and transformative, the latest edition of A New Psychology of Women examines how gender-related expectations interact with other cultural assumptions and stereotypes, and with social and economic conditions, to affect women’s experiences and behavior. Absorbing narratives centered on essential topics in psychology and global research engage readers to grasp cutting-edge insights into the psychological diversity of women. Aware that our own cultural experience colors and limits what we think we know about people, veteran educator and scholar Hilary Lips imbues her discussions with international examples and perspectives to provide an inclusive approach to the psychology of women. A wide range of new and extensively updated topics optimize readers’ knowledge of how disparate perspectives from cultures throughout the world shape women’s behavior and attitudes toward: health care / violence against women / poverty / labor force participation / occupational segregation / unpaid work / stereotyping and discrimination / expectations about power within marriage / female genital mutilation / theories of gender development / women’s attitudes toward their bodies / use of social media / media portrayals of girls and women / women in political leadership roles Among thoroughly updated topics particular to US culture are same-sex marriage, Latina women’s issues, the portrayal of women of different ethnic and cultural groups on television, and breast cancer survival rates of African American and European American women. Boxed items containing learning activities, profiles of women who helped shape psychology, and suggestions for making social changes appear throughout the text. Each chapter concludes with discussion questions, key terms, suggestions for additional reading, and Web resources.
This unique collection brings a rarely-seen indigenous and global perspective to the study of gender and psychology. Within these chapters, researchers who live and work in the countries and cultures they study examine gender-based norms, values, expression, and relations across diverse Western and non-Western societies. Familiar as well as less-covered locations and topics are analyzed, including China, New Zealand, Israel, Turkey, Central America, the experience of refugees, and gendered health inequities across Africa such as in the treatment of persons with HIV. Included, too, are examples of culturally appropriate interventions to address disparities, and data on the extent to which these steps toward equality are working. Structurally, the volume is divided into three sections. The first two parts of the book take readers on a journey to different regions of the world to illustrate the most recent trends in research concerning gender issues, and then outline present implications and future prospects for the psychological analysis of both gender & culture. The third section of the book has an applied perspective and focuses on the cultural norms and values reinforcing gender equality as well as cultural and social barriers to them. A sampling of the topics covered: Sexual orientation across culture and time. A broader conceptualization of sexism in Poland. An analysis of gender roles within the family in Switzerland Modern-day dowries in South Asian international arranged marriages. The current state of gender equality in the United States of America. Socio-cultural determinants of gender disparity in Ghana. Psychology of Gender Through the Lens of Culture is a milestone toward core human rights and goals worldwide, and a critical resource for psychologists, sociologists, anthropologists, gender studies researchers, public policy makers and all those interested in promoting gender equality throughout the world.
The Social Psychology of Female-Male Relations: A Critical Analysis of Central Concepts covers the thoughts, feelings, and behaviours of individuals in social interaction and explicitly considers women and men in relation to one another - as individuals, as representatives of social categories, and as significant social groups. Chapter One lays out the parameters of the social psychology of female-male relations. Chapter Two contains two major insights: that gender identity is a complex, multifaceted construct and that the structure and degree of differentiation of gender identity develop and change over the life course. Chapters Three and Four present a relatively general cognitive social-psychological framework for two important constructs, sex stereotypes and gender-related attitudes. Chapter Five offers a critique of analyses that explain the behavior of women and men in close, personal relationships in terms of sex differences in the individual dispositions of the participants. Chapter Six presents a strong and straightforward critique of the current usage of the term sex role to describe a global set of behavioral prescriptions that apply to all women and to all men. Chapter Seven presents a comprehensive review of research on gender-related patterns of behavior in task groups that cannot be found elsewhere. The concluding chapter summarizes points made in earlier chapters and offers a set of notes toward a theory of female-male relations. Social scientists (especially, psychologists, sociologists, and anthropologists) doing research on women, on men, or on women and men in relationships or in social interaction.
Inspired by feminist scholars who revolutionized our understanding of women's gender roles, the contributors to this pioneering book describe how men's proscribed roles are neither biological nor social givens, but rather psychological and social constructions. Questioning the traditional norms of the male role (such as the emphasis on aggression, competition, status, and emotional stoicism), they show how some male problems (such as violence, homophobia, devaluation of women, detached fathering, and neglect of health needs) are unfortunate by-products of the current process by which males are socialized. By synthesizing the latest research, clinical experience, and major theoretical perspectives on men and by figuring in cultural, class, and sexual orientation differences, the authors brilliantly illuminate the many variations of male behavior. This book will be a valuable resource not just for students of gender psychology in any discipline but also for clinicians and researchers who need to account for the relationship between men's behavior and the contradictory and inconsistent gender roles imposed on men. This new understanding of men's psychology is sure to enhance the work of clinical professionals-including psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers, counselors, and psychiatric nurses-in helping men reconstruct a sense of masculinity along healthier and more socially just lines.
A psychology of women textbook that fully integrates transgender research, issues, and concerns With clear, comprehensive, and cutting-edge coverage, The Psychology of Women and Gender: Half the Human Experience + delivers an authoritative analysis of classical and up-to-date research from a feminist, psychological viewpoint. Authors Nicole M. Else-Quest and Janet Shibley Hyde examine the cultural and biological similarities and differences between genders, noting how these characteristics can affect issues of equality. Students will come away with a strong foundation for understanding the dynamic influences of gender, sexual orientation, and ethnicity in the context of psychology and society. The Tenth Edition further integrates intersectionality throughout every chapter, updates language for more transgender inclusion, and incorporates new content from guidelines put forth from the American Psychological Association.
A lively, thought-provoking exploration of the latest theory and practice in the psychology of women and gender Edited by Rhoda Unger, a pioneer in feminist psychology, this handbook provides an extraordinarily balanced, in-depth treatment of major contemporary theories, trends, and advances in the field of women and gender. Bringing together contributions from leading U.S. and international scholars, it presents integrated coverage of a variety of approaches-ranging from traditional experiments to postmodern analyses. Conceptual models discussed include those that look within the individual, between individuals and groups, and beyond the person-to the social-structural frameworks in which people are embedded as well as biological and evolutionary perspectives. Multicultural and cross-cultural issues are emphasized throughout, including key variables such as sexual orientation, race/ethnicity, and social class. Researchers and clinicians alike will appreciate the thorough review of the latest thinking about gender and its impact on physical and mental health-which includes the emerging trends in feminist therapy and sociocultural issues important in the treatment of women of color. In addressing developmental issues, the book offers thought-provoking discussions of new research into possible biological influences on gender-specific behaviors; the role of early conditioning by parents, school, and the media; the role of mother and mothering; gender in old age; and more. Power and gender, as well as the latest research findings on American men's ambivalence toward women, sexual harassment, and violence against women, are among the timely topics explored in viewing gender as a systemic phenomenon. Handbook of the Psychology of Women and Gender is must reading for mental health researchers and practitioners, as well as scholars in a variety of disciplines who want to stay current with the latest psychological/psychosocial thinking on women and gender.
Machine generated contents note: 1. Understanding Gender -- 2. Dominance and Interdependence Produce Ambivalence -- 3. Development of Gender Relations -- 4. Gender Stereotypes -- 5. Maintaining Gender Stereotypes and Hierarchy -- 6. Gender at Work -- 7. Female Bodies and Beauty -- 8. Love and Romance -- 9. Sex -- 10. Masculinity -- 11. Violence, Dominance, and Control -- 12. Progress, Pitfalls, and Remedies -- References -- Author Index -- Subject Index -- .
A selection of insights into the relationship between men and women Have you wondered: Why women are more sympathetic than men toward O. J. Simpson? Why women were no more supportive of the Equal Rights Amendment than men? Why women are no more likely than men to support a female political candidate? Why women are no more likely than men to embrace feminism—a movement by, about, and for women? Why some women stay with men who abuse them? Loving to Survive addresses just these issues and poses a surprising answer. Likening women's situation to that of hostages, Dee L. R. Graham and her co- authors argue that women bond with men and adopt men's perspective in an effort to escape the threat of men's violence against them. Dee Graham's announcement, in 1991, of her research on male-female bonding was immediately followed by a national firestorm of media interest. Her startling and provocative conclusion was covered in dozens of national newspapers and heatedly debated. In Loving to Survive, Graham provides us with a complete account of her remarkable insights into relationships between men and women. In 1973, three women and one man were held hostage in one of the largest banks in Stockholm by two ex-convicts. These two men threatened their lives, but also showed them kindness. Over the course of the long ordeal, the hostages came to identify with their captors, developing an emotional bond with them. They began to perceive the police, their prospective liberators, as their enemies, and their captors as their friends, as a source of security. This seemingly bizarre reaction to captivity, in which the hostages and captors mutually bond to one another, has been documented in other cases as well, and has become widely known as Stockholm Syndrome. The authors of this book take this syndrome as their starting point to develop a new way of looking at male-female relationships. Loving to Survive considers men's violence against women as crucial to understanding women's current psychology. Men's violence creates ever-present, and therefore often unrecognized, terror in women. This terror is often experienced as a fear for any woman of rape by any man or as a fear of making any man angry. They propose that women's current psychology is actually a psychology of women under conditions of captivitythat is, under conditions of terror caused by male violence against women. Therefore, women's responses to men, and to male violence, resemble hostages' responses to captors. Loving to Survive explores women's bonding to men as it relates to men's violence against women. It proposes that, like hostages who work to placate their captors lest they kill them, women work to please men, and from this springs women's femininity. Femininity describes a set of behaviors that please men because they communicate a woman's acceptance of her subordinate status. Thus, feminine behaviors are, in essence, survival strategies. Like hostages who bond to their captors, women bond to men in an effort to survive. This is a book that will forever change the way we look at male-female relationships and women's lives.
