Issues in the Psychology of Women

Abstract

ix x PREFACE ing student. It is our hope that this textbook will serve to facilitate the special learning experience that can occur when an instructor and students come together to examine the discipline and perspective that is feminist psychology.Many individuals have contributed to the fruition of the textbook. First we thank our eminent authors for taking time out to write the chapters. Second, we are most appreciative of the technical help of Carole Londoreé, Erika Qualls, Eleanor Gil, and Megan Schmidt. Third, we are grateful to Eliot Werner, our editor, for understanding the need for this text. Maryka BiaggioMichel Hersen PART I. HISTORICAL AND SCIENTIFIC FOUNDATIONSAs you will note from Chapter 1, an important tenet of the women's movement is that "the personal is political." As you will see from Chapters 2 and 3, the scholarly and scientific are also political! As you complete this section, ask yourself about the tangible ways in which this is true. SUMMARYThis chapter has provided an overview of the women's liberation movement of the 1960s and 1970s, from its emergence out of the New Left, to its maturation as a force influencing legislation, judicial rulings, attitudes about women and men, and public and private treatment of women. A liberal feminist ideology permeated the early years of the women's movement, but various other ideologies, including radical feminism, socialist feminism, and cultural feminism, emerged and led to splintering and challenging within the movement, and subsequently to further elucidation of the meanings of feminism. These various ideologies spurred the development of feminist scholarship. The women's movement and feminist psychologists challenged the discipline and profession of psychology to examine its views and practices with respect to women and other disenfranchised persons, and individuals as well as feminist organizations provided rallying points for those interested in advancing feminist views. Without a doubt, the women's movement in the United States has had far-reaching impact, and has played a key role in shaping attitudes and policies toward contemporary women.