Women in academe: Is the glass completely full?

Replies to comments published by M. J. Harris (see record 2003-03406-011) and A. Bleske-Rechek and R. M. Webb (see record 2003-03406-012) in reference to the original article by M. E. Kite et al (see record 2001-10045-002), which summarized the findings and recommendations of the Task Force on the Status of Women in Academe. Here Kite et al reply in detail to the published comments. Four primary issues are addressed: equity in compensation, the question of special treatment, the importance of continuing to transform the academy, and the need for continued vigilance and monitoring to ensure that advances in gender equity do not prove to be just a passing phase. Kite et al emphasize both the importance of continuing to transform the academy and the need for continued vigilance on issues of gender equity. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Neglected aspects and unsupported claims.

Comments on the article by M. E. Kite et al (see record 2001-10045-002), which summarized the findings and recommendations of the Task Force on the Status of Women in Academe. The present authors contend that while Kite et al documented the differences in the activities of men and women in academia, it is not clear that "inequalities persist." Kite et al interpreted the observed differences in outcomes between men and women as self-evident indicators of remaining bias and discrimination. The present authors warn of two problems with this interpretation. First, Kite et al neglected important variables that suggest alternative interpretations of these differences. Second, the authors made unsupported claims about the existence of bias and discrimination against women. Here the present authors document specific cases of these errors in reasoning. In conclusion, observed differences between men and women might be partly a reflection of other (neglected) personological variables on which the sexes overlap considerably but differ on average. Just as differential outcomes do not imply differential opportunities, equal opportunities do not necessarily produce equal outcomes. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Swinging pendulums.

Comments on the article by M. E. Kite et al (see record 2001-10045-002), which summarized the findings and recommendations of the Task Force on the Status of Women in Academe. According to the present author, the task force report represents only one viewpoint, a particularly politicized viewpoint at that, and one that is not shared by all women (or men) in psychology. Further, the report conveys the unfortunate and dangerous impression that women are not able to succeed in academia unless they are awarded special treatment. The present author addresses the following themes that permeate the task force report: (1) differences in outcomes necessarily mean gender bias; (2) women need special nurturing to succeed in academia; (3) women should receive preferences in hiring; and (4) women should not be expected to achieve international reputations. Because the task force report went beyond merely summarizing the status of women to making recommendations (81 total), and because these recommendations carry the imprimatur of the American Psychological Association and thus the remote possibility they might actually affect some institution's policies, they warrant special scrutiny. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Psychological climate changes for women in academic psychology: Forecasts, sources, and implications.

Reflecting on the past, and observing the present, what kinds of psychological changes might be in the forecast for women in psychology, for women affected by our discipline, and for the discipline itself? Using metaphors borrowed from meteorology and climatology, a psychological almanac is constructed for feminist psychology in Canada, warming trends are examined on both the academic and applied fronts, and weather advisories are issued. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The Perceptions of Academic Women in School Psychology: A National Survey.

There is a paucity of research examining the experiences and perceptions of women employed as school psychology academicians. The purpose of this investigation was to ascertain female school psychology academicians' perceptions of their respective academic climates, levels of support, incidences of harassment, and levels of stress. Comparisons between women currently working in psychology departments and those in colleges of education were of particular interest. A total of 128 female school psychology academicians (52% response rate) completed the 48-item survey entitled, "Women in School Psychology: Academia Questionnaire." The findings suggested that the majority of participants (61%) reported that climate differences did not exist. Additionally, the majority of participants were not dissatisfied with their experiences in academia. Although women perceived their respective academic climates as positive, areas of perceived gender disparity were identified. Results are discussed in terms of implications for recruitment and retention of women faculty in school psychology. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of The New Partnership: Women and Men in Organizations.

Reviews the book, The New Partnership: Women and Men in Organizations by Nina L. Colwill (No Year Specified). This slim volume (162 text pages) is an examination and analysis of the roles of women and, to a lesser extent, men in organizations. The stated goal of the book is "to increase awareness of the sex-role problems facing males and females, whether managers or subordinates, in today's organizations, and to explore some solutions to these problems" (p. ix). These problems are largely the result of more women entering the workforce, aspiring to positions of authority and responsibility, and to some extent having success in achieving these aspirations. Thus, implicitly, the book is directed towards men and more important for them; it encourages them to change their beliefs and attitudes about women. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Women as Job Changers.

The purpose of the study reported here was to determine whether the statement "Women are a bad risk" is fact or myth with respect to women psychologists. The present survey focused on frequency of job change for men and women in psychology. 150 female and 150 male members of the Southeastern Psychological Association completed a questionnaire assessing date of PhD or terminal degree, area of specialization, and a chronological listing of all jobs held since the terminal degree. Results show that, despite some significant differences between women and men psychologists in the Southeast in training, type of employer, level of success achieved, and reasons for changing jobs, there was no significant difference in their job mobility. How then did the apparent myth that "women are a bad risk" start and what has maintained it? One possibility suggested by this study is that, though women are no more mobile than men, the reasons why they change jobs may be considered to be less valid, that is, less socially acceptable, thereby placing a kind of stigma on the move. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Work-life balance for early career Canadian psychologists in professional programs.

The authors examine work-life balance issues that apply to all Canadian academics and then focus on issues faced in the early stages of academic careers in professional psychology programs. In addition, the authors discuss the “family track including” timing of pregnancy. The authors identify psychological tasks such as establishing priorities, setting goals and willingness to 'say no.' In the final section, the authors offer suggestions about ways to gather information that will inform career choices, as well as strategies to help achieve work-life balance. Although the majority of psychology graduate students are women and a great deal of the literature on work-life balance is based on women, many of the issues the authors examine are applicable to both women and men. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Doctoral Dissertations by Women in the Nineteenth Century.

Presents a list of 20 doctoral dissertations in the field of psychology written by women in the nineteenth century. 15 of these women secured the PhD, and the other 5 were awarded the degree of Doctor of Pedagogy (analogous to the modern degree of EdD). (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Women with depression: Financial barriers to access.

The costs of treatment constitute a barrier to access for women with depression. Many women lack insurance coverage. Those who have coverage often face large out-of-pocket costs. Some improvements in access and coverage have occurred over the past 15 years. The share of women treated for depression has increased, although the increase has been in medication treatment only. The level of out-of-pocket spending has fallen, but this decline happened, in part, because overall outpatient spending fell substantially. There is not yet parity between mental and physical health coverage. Psychologists should continue to be mindful of financial barriers in making treatment recommendations. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The Place of Women in Psychology.

Comments on the analysis by Florence Denmark (December 1980) on the place of women in psychology and their lack of recognition and compensation, despite considerable achievement, and discusses parallels in the field of music. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Psychology in flux: The academic-professional bipolarity.

The "main fission in psychology is that between academic psychology and professional psychology." Clinical, industrial, and social psychology, among other applied fields, have expanded dramatically since World War II. Experimental psychology itself is now being professionalized. Serious problems stem from the fact that most graduate curricula are oriented to training "pure scientists" as scholars while most psychology graduates will "wind up in professional work outside universities and colleges." One solution is "to set up a school forthrightly embracing both academic and professional graduate training." There would be an "academic department" and a separate "professional department." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Sex Roles: Origins, Influences, and Implications for Women.

Reviews the book, Sex Roles: Origins, Influences, and Implications for Women by Cannie Stark-Adamec (Ed.) (1980). This book contains the proceedings of the first IGWAP (Interest Group on Women and Psychology) Institute on women which was held in conjunction with the 1978 CPA meetings in Ottawa. The book begins with an introduction by the editor in which she discusses the male bias in traditional psychological research, the purpose and history of IGWAP, the papers included in this volume, and some studies of the effects of language on the way people think about sex roles. The Introduction is followed by the invited address given at the Institute by Dr. Sandra Pyke, "Androgyny: A Dead End or a Promise." The rest of the book consists of 14 papers which were submitted in response to a call for papers and presented at the Institute. Since the papers included here were received in response to a call for papers (with the exception of the introduction and the invited address on androgyny), the topics covered are not comprehensive nor systematic enough to make the book useful as a textbook. There are simply too many holes and too little information tying the specific findings together. Although not useful as a textbook, this book has value both as a reference book and as a historical document of the research Canadian psychologists were doing from a women's perspective in the mid 1970's. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Phones, phonies, and psychologists: III. Professional problems and progress.

A table indicates the percentage of American Psychological Association (APA) members among individual listings in the classified telephone directories for 20 major cities from 1947 to 1962 as follows: 1947, 18.5%; 1949, 35.5%; 1953, 46.7%; 1957, 55.8%; and 1962, 76.9%. Problems considered involve listings by persons identifying themselves as hypnotists; dianetic auditors; those who promise memory power, marriage and tranquility development, relief from sexual problems, etc.; and organizations using display advertisements despite the APA Code statement that "Display advertising is not acceptable practice." The effects of certification are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Diagnostician, EdS, and PhD programs for school psychologists in Michigan: A correction and an addition.

Reports an error in "State Certification of School Psychologists" by Walter L. Hodges (American Psychologist, 1960[June], Vol 15, 346-349; see record 1961-02947-001). In Table 1 on page 347, for the University of Michigan, items are listed incorrectly. This article provides the corrections, and points out the rather effective compromise on the much debated problem of teacher certification and teaching experience. We believe that there are two good routes to becoming a school psychologist, one through psychology and the other through education, but course work is necessary in both. We now have a new academic degree, Specialist in Education (EdS), awarded by the Graduate School of the University of Michigan. This requires the completion of a carefully prepared program of studies leading to specific occupational opportunities. We do not refer to those who complete the diagnostician or EdS program as school psychologists, however they may be designated by employing institutions. We reserve this title for those who have completed the doctorate. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Status of Women in the Psychological Community in the Southeast: A Case Study.

The Executive Committee of the Southeastern Psychological Association (SEPA) appointed a Commission on the Status of Women in the spring of 1972. The Commission was charged to describe the status of women in psychology in the Southeast, to develop an affirmative action plan, and to present a report at the annual meeting in 1973. The Commission conducted studies assessing women in the role of faculty, administrators, private practitioners, researchers, graduate students, and SEPA members, through surveys of female and male psychologists, members and nonmembers of SEPA, PhD students, department chairs, and, in one case, a controlled experiment on undergraduates of both sexes. This article reports some of the results of these studies. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The embodiment of reconciliation: Order and change in the work of Frederic Bartlett.

Frederic Bartlett (1886-1969) was one of the most prominent figures in British academic psychology during the 20th century. His psychological work has had a mixed reception, but there is no doubt that it continues to be much cited. Bartlett and his work have also attracted considerable historical attention both within history of ideas accounts and in attempts to understand the establishment of British academic psychology. The present article argues that new light can be shed on Bartlett's writings by seeing them as repeatedly grappling with 2 interrelated themes: the preservation of order and the adjustment to changing conditions. The article illustrates the ways in which these themes ran through his major works and informed some of his key theoretical concepts before going on to examine some of the potential sources for these themes. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Changes in women's assertiveness in response to status and roles: A cross-temporal meta-analysis, 1931–1993.

Across two meta-analyses, American women's assertiveness rose and fell with their social status from 1931 to 1993. College women and high school girls' self-reports on assertiveness and dominance scales increased from 1931 to 1945, decreased from 1946 to 1967, and increased from 1968 to 1993, explaining about 14% of the variance in the trait. Women's scores have increased enough that many recent samples show no sex differences in assertiveness. Correlations with social indicators (e.g., women's educational attainment, women's median age at first marriage) confirm that women's assertiveness varies with their status and roles. Social change is thus internalized in the form of a personality trait. Men's scores do not demonstrate a significant birth cohort effect overall. The results suggest that the changing sociocultural environment for women affected their personalities, most likely beginning in childhood. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Another look at Meehl, Lakatos, and the scientific practices of psychologists.

This article examines current research methodology in psychology in the context of Serlin and Lapsley's response to Meehl's critiques of the scientific practices of psychologists. The argument is made that Serlin and Lapsley's appeal to Lakatos's philosophy of science to defend the rationality of null hypothesis tests and related practices misrepresents that philosophy. It is demonstrated that Lakatos in fact considered psychology an extremely poor science lacking true research programs, an opinion very much in line with Meehl's critique. The present essay speculates on the reasons for Lakatos's negative opinion and reexamines the role of null hypothesis tests in relation to the quality of theories in psychology. It is concluded that null hypothesis tests are destructive to theory building and directly related to Meehl's observation of slow progress in soft psychology. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)