The Psychology of Women (PSY 477 Preparation for Careers in Psychology)

CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY. This highly respected, best-selling book offers an enjoyable, extraordinarily well-written introduction to the psychology of women. Appropriate for readers from a wide variety of backgrounds, this comprehensive book depicts women's experiences through direct quotations and an emphasis on empirical research. Known for its balance of scholarship, readability, and inclusion of various kinds of women, the text reflects a genuine interest in and understanding of the readers for whom it was written. THE PSYCHOLOGY OF WOMEN includes a chapter on old age as well as discussions of topics such as welfare issues, pregnancy, and women's retirement, which are central in many women's lives but not consistently covered in other texts Cover......Page 1 Title Page......Page 4 Copyright......Page 6 CONTENTS......Page 13 PREFACE......Page 21 1 Introduction......Page 29 Sex and Gender......Page 31 The Extent of Social Biases......Page 32 Feminist Approaches......Page 33 Psychological Approaches to Gender Similarity and Difference......Page 36 The Emergence of the Psychology of Women as a Discipline......Page 38 The Current Status of the Psychology of Women......Page 39 The White-Privilege Concept......Page 41 Women of Color......Page 42 U.S.-Centered Nationalism......Page 47 Potential Problems and Biases in Current Research......Page 48 Designing the Study......Page 50 Interpreting the Data......Page 52 Communicating the Findings......Page 54 Critical Thinking and the Psychology of Women......Page 55 Themes of the Book......Page 56 How to Use This Book Effectively......Page 59 2 Gender Stereotypes and Other Gender Biases......Page 63 Biased Representations of Women and Men......Page 65 Gender Biases Throughout History......Page 66 Gender Biases in Religion and Mythology......Page 67 Gender Biases in Language......Page 69 Gender Biases in the Media......Page 72 The Content of Stereotypes......Page 77 Implicit Gender Stereotypes......Page 81 The Complexity of Contemporary Sexism......Page 82 Gender Discrimination in Interpersonal Interactions......Page 87 Heterosexism......Page 88 The Personal Consequences of Gender Stereotypes......Page 91 Gender Stereotypes and Cognitive Errors......Page 92 Gender Stereotypes and Behavior......Page 95 Applying Gender Stereotypes to Ourselves......Page 96 3 Infancy and Childhood......Page 102 Prenatal Sex Development......Page 104 People’s Responses to Infant Girls and Boys......Page 107 Theories of Gender Development......Page 111 Factors That Shape Gender Typing......Page 114 Parents......Page 115 Peers......Page 118 School......Page 122 The Media......Page 125 Children’s Knowledge About Gender......Page 129 Children’s Stereotypes About Activities and Occupations......Page 130 Factors Related to Children’s Gender Stereotypes......Page 133 4 Adolescence......Page 136 Puberty......Page 138 Biological Aspects of the Menstrual Cycle......Page 139 The Controversial Premenstrual Syndrome......Page 141 Cultural Attitudes Toward Menstruation......Page 146 Self-Concept and Identity During Adolescence......Page 147 Self-Esteem......Page 148 Body Image and Physical Attractiveness......Page 149 Feminist Identity......Page 150 Cultural Identity......Page 152 Transgender Identity......Page 154 Young Women’s Experiences in Middle School and High School......Page 155 Early Experiences in Math and Science......Page 156 Gender Issues in Higher Education......Page 157 Career Aspirations......Page 159 Interpersonal Relationships During Adolescence......Page 160 Family Relationships......Page 161 Romantic Relationships......Page 162 5 Gender Comparisons in Cognitive Abilities and Attitudes About Achievements......Page 170 Cautions About Research on Gender Comparisons......Page 172 The Meta-Analysis Approach to Summarizing Multiple Studies......Page 175 Cognitive Abilities......Page 176 Memory Ability......Page 177 Verbal Ability......Page 179 Mathematics Ability......Page 181 Spatial Ability......Page 183 Explaining the Gender Comparisons......Page 187 Attitudes About Achievement......Page 191 Achievement Motivation......Page 192 Confidence in Your Own Achievement and Ability......Page 193 Attributions for Your Own Success......Page 196 6 Gender Comparisons in Social and Personality Characteristics......Page 201 Verbal Communication......Page 204 Nonverbal Communication......Page 208 Potential Explanations for Gender Differences in Communication......Page 212 Characteristics Related to Helping and Caring......Page 215 Altruism......Page 216 Empathy......Page 217 Moral Judgments About Social Relationships......Page 218 Attitudes About Social Justice......Page 219 Friendship......Page 221 Gender and Aggression: The Social Constructionist Perspective......Page 224 Comparing Physical Aggression with Relational Aggression......Page 225 Other Factors Related to Gender and Aggression......Page 226 Leadership......Page 228 Persuasion......Page 230 7 Women and Work......Page 235 Background Factors Related to Women’s Employment......Page 237 General Information About Employed Women......Page 238 Women, Welfare, and TANF......Page 239 Discrimination in Hiring Patterns......Page 240 Discrimination in Salaries......Page 244 Discrimination in Promotions......Page 247 Other Kinds of Treatment Discrimination......Page 248 Discrimination Against Lesbians in the Workplace......Page 249 What to Do About Treatment Discrimination......Page 250 Women’s Experiences in Selected Occupations......Page 252 Employment in Traditionally Female Occupations......Page 253 Employment in Traditionally Male, High-Prestige Professions......Page 256 Employment in Traditionally Male Blue-Collar Jobs......Page 258 Why Are Women Scarce in Certain Occupations?......Page 259 Marriage......Page 261 Children......Page 265 Personal Adjustment......Page 267 8 Love Relationships......Page 272 The Ideal Romantic Partner......Page 274 Explanations for Gender Differences in Patterns of Preference......Page 278 Characteristics of Heterosexual Love Relationships......Page 280 Breaking Up......Page 282 Marriage and Divorce......Page 283 Marital Satisfaction......Page 284 Distribution of Power in Marriages......Page 286 Marriage and Women of Color......Page 287 Divorce......Page 289 Lesbians and Bisexual Women......Page 292 The Psychological Adjustment of Lesbians......Page 293 Characteristics of Lesbian Relationships......Page 294 Lesbian Women of Color......Page 297 Legal Status of Lesbian Relationships......Page 298 Bisexual Women......Page 299 The Fluidity of Female Sexual Orientation......Page 300 Theoretical Explanations About Sexual Orientation......Page 301 Single Women......Page 305 Characteristics of Single Women......Page 306 Advantages and Disadvantages of Being Single......Page 307 Single Women of Color......Page 308 9 Sexuality......Page 312 Theoretical Perspectives......Page 314 Female Sexual Anatomy......Page 315 Sexual Responses......Page 316 Sexual Desire......Page 318 Attitudes and Knowledge About Sexuality......Page 320 Attitudes About Female and Male Sexuality......Page 321 Sex Education......Page 322 Sexual Behavior and Sexual Disorders......Page 325 Sexual Behavior in Heterosexual Adolescents......Page 326 Sexual Behavior in Heterosexual Adults......Page 327 Communication About Sexuality......Page 328 Lesbians and Sexuality......Page 329 Older Women and Sexuality......Page 330 Sexual Disorders......Page 331 Birth Control Methods......Page 334 Emergency Contraception: A New Option......Page 335 Who Uses Birth Control?......Page 336 Obstacles to Using Birth Control......Page 338 Contraception and Family Planning in Developing Countries......Page 339 Abortion and Other Alternatives......Page 340 10 Pregnancy, Childbirth, and Motherhood......Page 346 Physical Reactions During Pregnancy......Page 348 Emotional Reactions During Pregnancy......Page 349 Attitudes Toward Pregnant Women......Page 352 Employment During Pregnancy......Page 353 The Biology of Childbirth......Page 354 Social Factors Affecting the Childbirth Experience......Page 356 Alternative Approaches to Childbirth......Page 357 Stereotypes About Motherhood......Page 359 The Reality of Motherhood......Page 360 Motherhood and Women of Color......Page 363 Lesbian Mothers......Page 364 Breast Feeding......Page 366 Postpartum Disturbances......Page 367 Employment Following Childbirth......Page 369 Deciding Whether to Have Children......Page 370 Infertility......Page 373 11 Women and Physical Health......Page 378 Biases Against Women......Page 381 Gender Comparisons in Life Expectancy......Page 383 How Social Class Influences U.S. Women’s Health......Page 384 Health Issues for Women in Developing Countries......Page 385 Cardiovascular Disease, Breast Cancer, and Other Specific Health Problems......Page 386 Background Information on Disability Studies......Page 394 Education and Work Patterns of Women with Disabilities......Page 395 Personal Relationships of Women with Disabilities......Page 396 Background Information on AIDS......Page 398 Medical Aspects of HIV and AIDS......Page 399 Psychological Aspects of HIV and AIDS......Page 400 Preventing AIDS......Page 401 Other Sexually Transmitted Diseases......Page 403 Smoking......Page 405 Alcohol Abuse......Page 406 Abuse of Other Substances......Page 408 12 Women and Psychological Disorders......Page 412 Depression......Page 414 Explanations for the Gender Difference in Depression......Page 415 The Culture of Thinness......Page 422 Body Weight and Dieting......Page 424 Eating Disorders......Page 425 Treating Psychological Disorders in Women......Page 429 Psychotherapy and Sexism......Page 430 Psychotherapy and Social Class......Page 431 Psychotherapy with Women of Color......Page 432 Traditional Therapies and Women......Page 436 Feminist Therapy......Page 439 13 Violence Against Women......Page 444 Sexual Harassment......Page 446 Why Is Sexual Harassment an Important Issue?......Page 448 Women’s Reactions to Being Sexually Harassed......Page 449 What to Do About Sexual Harassment......Page 450 Sexual Assault and Rape......Page 453 How Often Does Rape Occur?......Page 454 Acquaintance Rape......Page 455 The Role of Alcohol and Drugs......Page 456 Women’s Reactions to Rape......Page 457 Fear of Rape......Page 459 The Public’s Attitudes About Rape......Page 461 Child Sexual Abuse......Page 463 The Prevention of Sexual Assault and Rape......Page 465 The Abuse of Women......Page 469 How Often Does the Abuse of Women Occur?......Page 471 Characteristics Related to Abusive Relationships......Page 472 Myths About the Abuse of Women......Page 474 Reducing Intimate Partner Violence......Page 476 Society’s Response to the Problem of Abuse......Page 477 14 Women and Older Adulthood......Page 482 Attitudes Toward Older Women......Page 484 Older Women and the Media......Page 485 The Double Standard of Aging......Page 486 Cross-Cultural Views of Older Women......Page 489 Planning for Retirement......Page 490 Adjusting to Retirement......Page 491 Financial Issues......Page 492 Physical Changes During Menopause......Page 493 Why Hormone Replacement Therapy Is No Longer Common......Page 494 Contemporary Attitudes About Menopause......Page 495 Women’s Psychological Reactions to Menopause......Page 496 Family Relationships......Page 498 The Death of an Intimate Partner and Coping with Bereavement......Page 501 Older Women of Color......Page 502 Satisfaction with Life......Page 503 Rewriting Our Life Stories......Page 504 Final Words......Page 506 15 Moving Onward......Page 510 The Increased Number of Women in Psychology......Page 512 Increasing the Multicultural Research in Psychology of Women......Page 513 Latina/o Feminists......Page 514 Asian American Feminists......Page 515 Profeminist Approaches......Page 517 Religious Approaches......Page 519 Women’s Studies Courses in North America......Page 520 The Women’s Movement in North America......Page 522 The Women’s Movement Worldwide......Page 523 Helping to Change the Future: Becoming an Activist......Page 525 REFERENCES......Page 529 NAME INDEX......Page 609 SUBJECT INDEX......Page 625