Psychology of women mini quiz one and two

Which of the following most accurately describes how a feminist psychologist’s approach to scholarship differs from the traditional approach to general psychology?

Feminist psychologists recognize that a researcher's values affect how we conceptualize and research human behavior.

Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of queer feminism?

a focus on gender as a core attribute, rather than as an idea that is expressed

Alice Walker (1983) coined the term __________, an identity label that stems from the experiences of Black women and other women of color, that encompasses feminism but doesn’t prioritize sexism over other forms of oppression.

womanist

As described in the text, in the late 19th century emergence of psychology, which of the following was used as “scientific” evidence of the cognitive inferiority of women relative to men?

women's smaller, lighter brains

Applying the concept “the personal is political” to everyone, which is an example from the text that shows how boys and men often experience negative impacts from sex/gender expectations?

Boys often feel shame when they experience vulnerable feelings because vulnerability is seen as feminine and is therefore devalued.

Which of the following individuals is most likely to identify as a socialist feminist?

Eunice, who believes that we need to take action to remedy inequalities when workplace gains made by wealthier women rely on the poorly compensated labor of working-class women

Dr. Mamie Phipps Clark’s research and work in psychology helped to do which of the following?

establish that social science could be used as evidence for cases presented to the Supreme Court

Which of the following is the most accurate description of “scientific racism” as described by the text

biased researchers collected and interpreted data to justify the supposed superiority of white men compared to white women and all people of color

The defining idea of postfeminism is that

gender inequality has been solved and feminism is no longer needed.

Instead of focusing on “waves” of feminism, some have suggested that we instead think of feminism in terms of a kaleidoscope. According to the text, why does this change in focus suggest that idea?

The kaleidoscope is complex and dynamic, and while every color remains present, the visible colors and patterns shift, reflecting our influences and perspectives.

Sophie Cruz was the youngest person to address the audience gathered in Washington D.C. for the Women’s March in January 2017; her message was about immigration reform. According to the text, why is immigration reform considered a feminist issue?

Immigration reform is among the many principles that unite diverse groups of women.

Mei is a Chinese American woman who people assume is shy and submissive, but also intelligent and working in a STEM field. In reality, Mei is an outgoing, assertive woman who is a public relations executive. She finds that people are often surprised by her personality and her line of work. These assumptions about Mei are examples of

racialized sexist stereotypes.

Which of the following is the MOST LIKELY explanation for why women smile more often than men?

women may feel obligated to look pleasant

Scott adores his mother who was a stay-at-home mom and was married to his father for 50 years. He places her on a pedestal, often telling others that she is the family’s moral compass. Scott also contributes money to organizations which lobby against reproductive justice and believes mothers who work are selfish. Scott’s attitudes toward women are an example of __________ sexism.

ambivalent

Janet, a woman honors student in STEM, experiences stereotype threat during exams when surrounded only by male peers in the testing environment. Which of the following is LEAST likely to be the reason for Janet’s impaired performance?

lack of innate skill

Women who violate gender norms are often met with sexism in the form of

backlash effects.

Benevolent sexism is __________ viewed as sexist, even though research demonstrates that there are __________ outcomes for women who experience it.

rarely; negative

Men feeling entitled to tell women to smile and women feeling obligated to smile, indicates women’s __________ status and men’s __________ status.

lower; higher

Recent research in observing behavior suggests that women and men are equally agentic and assertive, but research assessing attitudes finds that agentic and communal traits are

still considered to be fundamental aspects of masculinity and femininity.

According to the text, people from marginalized social identity groups are motivated to seek community in order to create __________ which promotes positive __________.

solidarity; mental health

Why is there a psychology of women?

Because psychology was historically based only on white male studies, and women were considered less than

What is intersectionality?

The interconnectedness of different forms of oppression (e.g., a white man has privilege, but if he is gay, he also faces oppression).

How is feminism defined?

A movement to end sexism, sexist exploitation, and oppression.

What is Liberal Feminism?

Focuses on similarities between men and women; differences come from experiences, not biology.

What is Radical Feminism?

Believes patriarchy is fundamental and unbreakable; women must separate from male-centered thinking.

what is Socialist Feminism

Links oppression to capitalism and economic systems (e.g., women being paid less, pink tax).

What is Cultural Feminism?

focuses in the idea that inequality is related to the lack of value placed on women’s experiences. They believe NOT in separation BUT that women should use their feminine characteristics to advance gender equity and argue for a shift in traditional feminine characteristics.

Women of color Feminism or womanist:

see inequality as deeply linked to white supremacy.

Queer feminism:

claims inequality is related to the categories women and men are put in, and it raises the question of what is considered female and male in the first place.

Postcolonial/ transnational feminism:

connects women’s inequality to the legacy of colonialism or the practice of political domination where one group of people is controlled by another. European women think that hijabs mean that it is a male-dominated culture, and Muslim people think that European women showing too much means a male-dominated culture.

Androcentric

male focused.

Positivism

the idea that science is progressive and commutative it relies on objectivity, neutrality, and rationality.

Crip theory

the idea that a disability is an identity that intersects with other identities. The idea that some disabilities (mostly seen ones) are accepted, and the ones you can’t always see are more rejected.

Myth of meritocracy

the idea that economic mobility can be easily obtained through hard work.

Compulsory heterosexuality

the idea that sexual preferences are formed through the social ideal of heterosexuality, ultimately leading girls and women to prioritize the sexual desires of men.

Lesbian feminism

focuses on sexuality and reproduction as a central place of oppression

Main critiques made by feminist psychologists

First wave of feminism

Began in 1848 at the Seneca Falls Convention, where 200 women and 40 men came together to create a list advocating for women’s rights. Many native Americans, black women and Mexican Americans were advocating for authority over their lives. Women couldn’t vote until 1920 and even then it did not guarantee any women the right to vote; it simply guaranteed that a ballot would not be denied based on sex/gender.

second Wave of feminism

Emerged in the 1960s to change the day-to-day lives of women, like creating more access to paid labor and redefining women’s roles in families. Many criticized this as being largely defined as a white woman’s issue.

Third Wave of feminism

Mid 1990s, and this is described by rejecting the idea that everyone’s experience of being a woman is the same

Social Identity

A persons sense of self based on their individual affiliation with different groups.

Social stratification

the idea that people are ranked in a hierarchy such that some people and groups have more power and status than others. Like being white, able bodied, male, heterosexual, cisgender,well educated and middle aged are deemed powerful.

ADDRESSING

Age, disability, religion, ethnicity, social class, sexual orientation, indigenous heritage, national origin, gender from pamela haes

Matrix of domination

these different systems of bias interconnect with and stem from social stratification.

Privilege

describes the social, economic and or political advantages that people enjoy simply because they are part of a certain group rather than because of anything they did to failed to do.

Unearned entitlements

things of value that should be provided to everyone but aren’t. like womens sports not having the stadium or halftime shows

Invisibility

with having dominant groups, that means that marginalized social characteristics are often invisible.

Conferred dominance

one group is socially assumed to have more authority or power over a group.

Legitimizing myths

attitudes, values, and beliefs that exist to justify social hierarchy EX men being better leaders and women being better caretakers.

Stereotypes

a belief about the characteristics of a particular group that are generalized to all members of that group. NOT ACCURATE.

Sexism

bias based on the belief that men are superior to women.

Prejudice

negative attitude towards someone because of that person’s actual or perceived membership of a group.

Discrimination

form of prejudice that involves unfair TREATment of an individual on account of being of a social group that is less powerful than the dominant.

Femmephobia

hostility towards anyone who exhibits female traits.

What are common sex/gender stereotypes? 

 Agentic or instrumental gender roles: assertive, dominant, competitive are for men and Communal: warm friendliness or Affective gender stereotypes are for girls

What are the different stereotypes for women of color?

Model minority: that Asian Americans are the idea example of minority because they are stereotyped as being smart and hard working.  

Ambivalent sexism 

The ways in which contemporary sexism includes two components Hostility and Benevolence. EX: women should stay in their place.

Hostile sexism:

negative and derogatory belief about girls and women. Negative outcomes of hostile sexism are that people evaluate male job candidates more favorable than women and are less likely to believe a woman’s claim about sexual harassment additionally men are more likely to minimize the seriousness of sexual violence

Benevolent sexism

seemingly positive belief that women should be treated differently than men because they are special and worthy of being cherished and in need of protection. This is often used to justify gender inequality, increases women’s stress and make women behave in more traditional ways so they can be liked

Paternalistic chivalry

the idea that women should be protected and cherished but they must comply.

Self-Stereotyping

when individuals act in ways that confirm stereotypes because that’s how they think they are supposed to act.

Doing gender

a circular process in which social expectations influence the performance of gender which in turn influences social interactions

Backlash effects

social and economic penalties experienced in response to violating gender stereotypes. EX women becoming engenders and struggling because it is a male dominated field

Overt sexism

unequal treatment of women that’s easily identifiable and it’s a form of discrimination.

Modern sexism

gender bias that is communicated in subtle or indirect ways it can be hard to notice because it is often implicit meaning outside of our conscious awareness as opposed to explicit meaning we are consciously aware of it.  

Cissexism

a type of sexism that stems from the assumption that cisgender people’s identities, gender expressions and bodies are more legitimate than those of trans people. EX; when there are categories on surveys that say male or female.

Biases in Language

Language can be used as a way to hold power like saying the man’s name first in a couple or saying man interchangeably with human

Gender fair language:

is language that refers to all people with inclusive linguistic forms.

Gender bias in names

males imply strength and hardness like champ, maddog and stud. Female nicknames imply beauty, pleasantness, kindness and goodness like angel, munchkin and honey.

Denigrating names

many slang words are meant to harm women and are disproportionally sexualized like bitch and slut. Compared to men their derogatory words are not as harmful like tool.

Reappropriation

people from a subordinate group intentionally reclaiming a slur previously used to oppress them.

What are the sex/gender similarities and differences in communication patterns?

Men talk more than women despite the stereotype that women are chatty, women are more likely to use tentative speech forms like “I think’ to express hesitation.

What are the sex/gender similarities and differences in nonverbal communication?

Women are more likely to be told to smile compared to men, women are more likely to sit in a passive way like crossing legs compared to men manspreding.

Explanations for communication differences

Power vs. social learning theories: Power is a big factor since men have more power they assert dominate by talking over women, telling women to smile and taking control. Additionally social learning, it is learned that men are suppose to have more power and be more dominate and women focus on being more liked.