Gender-Fair Research Class

Introduction to the Psychology of Women

• Intellectual Humility: Acknowledges limits to knowledge; beliefs can be wrong; opinions on sensitive topics like politics often remain unchanged.
• Characteristics of Critical Thinking: Involves questioning claims and clarifying definitions; assessing assumptions, evaluating evidence, and recognizing the need for more information.
• Biopsychosocial Approach: Understanding gender requires examining biological (genes, hormones), psychological (thoughts, feelings), and sociocultural factors (media, cultural norms) and their interactions.
• Emergence of Gender Studies: Originated in the late 1960s during the women’s movement, leading psychology to address biases affecting understanding of gender.

Definitions of Sex and Gender

• Sex: Refers to biological and physiological traits defining individuals as male or female, based on genetics, hormones, and anatomy; historically attributed differences largely to biology.
• Gender: A classification system associated with masculinity and femininity; involves traits, roles, and expectations that vary across cultures and time; it is interactive and influenced by situational contexts.

Research Methods

• Qualitative Research: Focuses on open-ended inquiries into complex behaviors; includes interviews and case studies; does not manipulate or statistically test hypotheses.
• Quantitative Research: Uses statistical tests to compare groups and relationships; aims for generalization; includes experiments that allow cause-and-effect conclusions.
• Correlational Research: Studies relationships between two variables without determining causation; findings can be misleading due to third-variable influences.

Research Biases in Gender Studies

• Question Formulation: Prior studies often framed leadership in terms of masculine traits; modern research incorporates more inclusive definitions.
• Study Design: Overreliance on college students creates biases; current samples often lack diversity in gender identity and cultural backgrounds.
• Data Analysis: Traditional use of quantitative methods can overlook the complexities of gender; biases favor differences over similarities.
• Publication Bias: Gender differences, rather than similarities, are more likely to be published, perpetuating stereotypes.

Feminist Values in Research

• Recognizes empirical research as valuable; encourages critical examination of methods; supports research by both women and men; asserts that objective science is influenced by social and political factors.

Gender Stereotypes and Behavior

• Stereotypes: Networks of beliefs about how individuals in particular groups behave, aiding in understanding complexities in social interactions.
• Limitations of Stereotyping: Generally perceived as averages rather than absolutes; not all individuals adhere to or believe stereotypes; activation of stereotypes is often automatic and outside conscious control.

Content of Gender Stereotypes

• Focus on four types: traits, role behaviors, occupations, and physical appearance.

Agentic vs. Communal Traits

• Agentic Traits (associated with men): Characteristics like ambition, assertiveness, competitiveness, and independence.
• Communal Traits (associated with women): Attributes such as compassion, warmth, emotional sensitivity, and care for others.
• Changes in perceptions note that women have become seen as equally agentic over time, with competence and intelligence regarded as equal for both genders.

Sexuality Stereotypes

• Lesbian Women: Subject to stereotypes that may serve to keep them subordinated, particularly within athletic contexts and beyond.