bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Understanding Stress in Female and Male Law Enforcement Officers
Authors: Norvell Nancy K. , Hills Holly A. , Murrin Mary R.
Published: July 2006

Gender issues in the male-dominated profession of law enforcement have not been closely examined. In the current study, 52 female officers of a state highway patrol agency were matched with 52 male officers. Participants completed a confidential assessment packet to examine their satisfaction with work, perceived stress, physical symptoms, daily hassles, and aspects of burnout. Results suggest that male officers experience a greater degree of perceived stress and emotional exhaustion and greater dissatisfaction with their work than do women. In female officers, perceived stress was related to physical symptoms, dissatisfaction with the nature of the work, dissatisfaction with co-workers, and feelings of emotional exhaustion. In male officers, perceived stress was related to physical symptoms, dissatisfaction with co-workers, dissatisfaction with work, and emotional exhaustion. Gender differences in terms of officers' expectations and beliefs about the profession as well as the possible differential effects of marital status on occupational stress are discussed.
Women's Multiple Perspectives and Experiences with Pornography
Authors: Senn Charlene Y.
Published: July 2006

This study was designed to investigate and represent a spectrum of women's experiences with and attitudes toward pornography. Q methodology was used to achieve this goal. In Phase 1, 30 participants were recruited for their varying views on and experiences with pornography. These participants were interviewed on their beliefs about the role of sexually explicit materials in their lives. Ninety-eight Q-sort items were written to adequately represent the variety of themes present in the interview transcripts. Participants in Phase 2 were mature women students recruited from university classes and participants from Phase 1 who agreed to continue their participation ( N = 59). The participants sorted the 98 items in a manner that best represented their own experiences and views. The Q sorts were analyzed using principal components analysis. A five-factor solution represented five unique perspectives held by women within the sample. Four of these perspectives are discussed. Only two of these factors represent perspectives previously discussed in the psychological literature.
Women, Leadership, and Empowerment
Authors: Denmark Florence L.
Published: July 2006

This paper is a review of leadership research, focusing primarily on women as leaders. The more recent perspective of studying leaders by examining followers is included; but research is sparse as to how leaders are perceived as empowering by their subordinates. A study in progress, conducted by Denmark, Nielson, and Scholl, indicates that stereotypes were more typically held by women against female leaders. However, a leader's ability to be empowering varies with status. The higher the status, the more empowering that individual is perceived, whether female or male. Yet, more men than women held higher status positions. More women are needed in high-level positions to better assess leadership and empowerment.
Guatemalan, Filipino, and U.S. Adolescents' Images of Women as Office Workers and Homemakers
Authors: Gibbons Judith L. , Lynn Maria , Stiles Deborah A. , de Berducido Eneldina Jerez , Richter Randy , Walker Karen , Wiley Deane
Published: July 2006

Although adolescents of different countries often draw pictures of the ideal woman cooking or working in an office, the meaning of the images may vary cross-culturally. In the present study, 88 adolescents from the Philippines, the U.S.A., and Guatemala interpreted drawings by their same-nationality peers. Interpreters from all three countries described the woman working in an office as hardworking and the woman cooking as a mother cooking for her family. In addition, Filipino adolescents wrote themes of contentment and organization, Guatemalan adolescents wrote themes of betterment, family, and hope, and U.S.A. adolescents wrote themes of contentment and niceness. Similar images of women's roles may have different meanings for adolescents of different cultures, and the use of emic approaches can provide psychological researchers with increased understanding of complex social phenomena.
Gender-Role Socialization in Contemporary Russia
Authors: Kerig Patricia K. , Alyoshina Yulya Y. , Volovich Alia S.
Published: July 2006

This article represents a collaboration between Russian and Western researchers concerned with the cross-cultural study of gender. A contemporary Russian psychoanalytic perspective on gender role development in the context of their own culture is presented, and its relationship to the Soviet and Western research literature is explored. Historical changes are noted in the transitions from prerevolutionary peasant society to Soviet socialism and to the new reforms in Russia. A long standing ambivalence toward agentic values is described throughout these phases of Russian history, and its legacy is identified in current social problems. Difficulties inherent in using Western conceptualizations of gender roles in this different context are discussed, as are points of compatibility, and their application to an investigation of Russian gender roles is illustrated.
Antecedents and Outcomes of Woman-Unfriendly Experiences
Authors: Kauppinen-Toropainen Kaisa , Gruber James E.
Published: July 2006

Predictors and outcomes of male harassment and hostility toward women (woman-unfriendly experiences) were analyzed for professional and blue-collar women ( N = 805) in three geographic regions. Two central questions were addressed by using multiple regression: Do the same types of variables predict woman-unfriendly experiences across regions? Are there similar job-related and psychological outcomes of woman-unfriendly experiences across regions? Americans reported more such experiences and they affected more outcomes. Scandinavians had fewer woman-unfriendly experiences than Americans, fewer job-related or psychological problems, more autonomy, and better work environments. Former Soviet professionals reported more unfriendly experiences than workers but less than their peers in the other regions. Differences among the regions were attributed to general social and economic policies that have attempted to eradicate gender inequality (Scandinavia), occupational status levelling and traditional gender stereotypes (former USSR), or cultural values of competitiveness and individualism and heightened sensitivity to the issue of sexual harassment (United States).
Gender and Ethnocultural Comparisons in Styles of Love
Authors: Dion Kenneth L. , Dion Karen K.
Published: July 2006

Ethnocultural background and gender were investigated as correlates of love styles in an ethnically diverse sample of university students in Toronto. Women viewed love as more friendship oriented, more pragmatic, but less permissive than did men, findings consistent with previous research with American college students. Ethnocultural differences or Gender x Ethnocultural Background interactions were also found. In line with an expected contrast between Asian and Western cultural traditions regarding love, Chinese and other Asian respondents of both sexes were more friendship oriented in their love relationships than were respondents of Anglo-Celtic or European ethnocultural backgrounds. Expectations of greater gender role differentiation among Asians were partly supported by finding that women from Asian ethnocultural backgrounds other than Chinese were less likely to view “love as a game” than were either their female or male counterparts. Women from Asian ethnocultural backgrounds other than Chinese also expressed a more altruistic view of love than did Anglo-Celtic women.
Human Rights and Mental Health Among Latin American Women in Situations of State-Sponsored Violence
Authors: Lykes M. Brinton , Brabeck Mary M. , Ferns Theresa , Radan Angela
Published: July 2006

A Task Force of the American Psychological Association Division 35, Psychology of Women, has been collecting resources that address issues of human rights and mental health among Latin American women living in situations of war and/or state-sponsored violence. This work is being conducted primarily by women's groups, progressive organizations, and individual women in these contexts of institutionalized political violence. This paper describes our reflections on themes that emerged from our reading of this work. We discuss the false dichotomy between public and private violence, the silencing of women as an inevitable consequence of state-imposed violence, and the collective efforts of women to resist violence and heal its effects. These themes suggest that extreme violence against women can be most adequately understood and responded to within a psychosocial and cultural framework. We examined three issues that emerge from the material gathered by the Task Force that suggest how some Latin American psychologists and activists have begun to articulate such a framework: (a) exile within and outside of one's country of origin; (b) torture, the most extreme form of state-sponsored violence; and (c) nontraditional, culturally appropriate interventions that are alternatives to Anglo-Saxon theory and practice. The work of Latin American individuals is described here as a resource for all who are engaged in the struggle to achieve justice for women.
Social Influence Strategies Among Japanese and American College Women
Authors: Dunn Kerri F. , Cowan Gloria
Published: July 2006

Social influence strategies of 40 Japanese and 41 American college women were compared. With the use of a free-response format, respondents were asked to describe how they get their way with their mother, father, male teacher/boss, female teacher/boss, male friends, and female friends. Contrary to expectations, content analysis indicated that Japanese women reported using strong and neutral strategies more frequently and weak strategies less frequently than American women. American women used manipulation (especially sexual manipulation) more frequently and reasoning less frequently than Japanese women. Analyses by target of influence indicated that these differences were not found when the target was a female friend but were demonstrated across most of the other targets.
Gender Differences in Moral Reasoning: Stable or Situational?
Authors: Clopton Nancy A. , Sorell Gwendolyn T.
Published: July 2006

Some researchers have proposed that women prefer care reasoning, which considers issues of need and sacrifice, and men prefer justice reasoning, which considers issues of fairness and rights. However, differences in approach to moral reasoning may be due to the different types of dilemmas women and men encounter rather than to differences in the ways men and women approach moral problems. The present study employed parenting dilemmas to determine whether restriction of domain would reduce gender differences in moral reasoning orientation. Dilemmas were presented or elicited and differed in difficulty, importance, and personal relevance to investigate the relationship between situational characteristics and care or justice reasoning. Women and men did not differ in their use of care or justice reasoning when the domain was restricted, supporting the conclusion that differences in moral reasoning orientation result from differences in current life situations rather than from stable gender characteristics.
Effects of Maternal Employment—Childrearing Pattern on College Students' Perceptions of a Mother and Her Child
Authors: Bridges Judith S. , Orza Ann Marie
Published: July 2006

This study examined college students' perceptions of different maternal employment-childrearing patterns: continuous employment after 6 weeks of maternity leave, interrupted employment until the child was in first grade, or nonemployment after the child's birth. Primarily Caucasian lower-middle-class volunteers ( n = 200) from a public university read a description of a mother who followed one of these patterns. Results showed that the mother who was continuously employed was rated as less communal and was less positively evaluated than either the mother who interrupted her employment or the nonemployed mother. Further, her child was expected to experience more negative outcomes than the children of either of the other two mothers. Discussion focuses on social role theory and college students' role expectations.
The “Freshman 15”: Facts and Fantasies About Weight Gain in College Women
Authors: Hodge Carole Nhu'y , Jackson Linda A. , Sullivan Linda A.
Published: July 2006

This research tested the hypothesis that the “freshman 15” may be more fantasy than fact. The “freshman 15” refers to the belief that college students, particularly women, gain an average of 15 pounds during their first year of college. Female college students were weighed during their first month at college and again 6 months later. They also completed measures of self-esteem, body image, locus of control, and self-monitoring. Findings indicated that the majority of women remained the same weight during the first 6 months of college. A favorable body image was related to less weight loss among those who lost weight, but none of the other characteristics were related to weight change.
Review
Authors: Hall Ruth
Published: July 2006

The Politics of Race and Gender in Therapy, Lenora Fulani (Ed.). New York: Hawthorne, 1988. 120 pp. $24.95.

Psychotherapy With Lesbian Clients: Theory to Practice, Kristine L. Falco. New York: Brunner/Mazel, 1991. 208 pp. $26.95.

Jewish Women in Therapy: Seen but Not Heard, Rachel Josefowitz Siegel and Ellen Cole (Eds.). New York: Hawthorne, 1991. 126 pp. $19.95, $9.95 (paper).
Women's Responses to Status Inequality: A Test of Social Identity Theory
Authors: Breinlinger Sara , Kelly Caroline
Published: July 2006

This study examined women's responses to status inequality using the theoretical framework of Social Identity Theory (SIT). Accordingly, it was predicted that three mutually exclusive clusters of responses would be distinguished: individual mobility, social creativity, and social competition. Fifty women participated in a Q-sort study where the statements used reflected these three strategies. Four main factors emerged in factor analysis. Although some elements of the emerging factors were consonant with Social Identity Theory, important differences were also found. Thus, findings suggested that women draw simultaneously on different ideologies to make sense of their social situation. Furthermore, there was no evidence to suggest that strength of identification with one's own sex group is related to choice of strategy.
Influencing A Partner to Use a Condom
Authors: De Bro Sherrine Chapman , Campbell Susan Miller , Peplau Letitia Anne
Published: July 2006

Little is known about the influence strategies that young heterosexual adults use to persuade a new sexual partner to use or avoid the use of condoms. College students' ( N = 393) opinions about and experiences with six condom power strategies were examined. Overall, students gender-typed the strategies as “feminine” when the goal was to persuade a partner to use condoms and as “masculine” when trying to avoid condom use. Effectiveness and comfort ratings of the strategies varied both by students' gender and the particular tactic being evaluated. Gender differences also emerged in students' actual experiences with the strategies. When trying to encourage condom use, men utilized seduction most often; whereas, withholding sex was the most popular tactic used by women. For avoiding condom use, men were more likely than women to employ seduction, reward, and information. Implications for understanding the impact of gender and social influence in the domain of condom use are discussed.
The Effects of Childhood Sexual Messages on African-American and White Women's Adolescent Sexual Behavior
Authors: Ward L. Monique , Wyatt Gail Elizabeth
Published: July 2006

To clarify the relationship between sexual communication and sexual behavior, multiple components of sexual messages recalled from childhood were examined in a community sample of 248 African-American and White women. Respondents were matched on a predesignated set of demographic variables and were interviewed using the Wyatt Sexual History Questionnaire. We anticipated that women's recollections of messages from parents and television would differ both individually and across ethnicity, and that messages recalled from parents would be multidimensional, varying in tone (positive vs. negative) across time (childhood vs. adolescence) and form (verbal vs. nonverbal). We also expected that the presence and tone of specific types of messages recalled would be associated with risk-related sexual behavior. Results confirmed predictions concerning differential interpretations of messages, and ethnicity emerged as a strong mediating variable. The implications of the specific types of parental messages influencing behavior are discussed.
Gender Comparisons in Responsiveness to Others' Evaluations in Achievement Settings
Authors: Roberts Tomi-Ann , Nolen-Hoeksema Susan
Published: July 2006

An experiment tested three possible explanations for gender differences in responsiveness to others' evaluations in achievement settings. Results replicated previous studies and showed that women and men perceived the valence of evaluative messages similarly. Further, women's privately made self-evaluations reflected the valence of others' evaluations to a greater extent than men's. Finally, women saw others' evaluations as more accurate assessments of their performance than did men and said they were more influenced by those evaluations than did men. The best explanation for the gender difference in responsiveness to others' evaluations, therefore, seems to lie in women's and men's differing construals of the informational value of those evaluations. The authors propose that different experiences girls and boys have with evaluative feedback may lead to gender differences in beliefs about the informational value of others' evaluations of our competence.
Racism and Sexism in Interracial Pornography
Authors: Cowan Gloria , Campbell Robin R.
Published: July 2006

Racism and sexism were examined in interracial (Black/White) X-rated pornography videocassettes. Five female coders coded 476 characters in the sexually explicit scenes in 54 videos. Characters were coded on aggregate measures of physical and verbal aggression, inequality cues, racial cues, and intimacy cues, as well as other specific indices. Sexism was demonstrated in the unidirectional aggression by men toward women. Racism was demonstrated in the lower status of Black actors and the presence of racial stereotypes. Racism appeared to be expressed somewhat differently by sex, and sexism somewhat differently by race. For example, Black women were the targets of more acts of aggression than were White women, and Black men showed fewer intimate behaviors than did White men. More aggression was found in cross-race sexual interactions than in same-race sexual interactions. These findings suggest that pornography is racist as well as sexist.
Research On Women Of Color: From Ignorance to Awareness
Authors: Reid Pamela Trotman , Kelly Elizabeth
Published: July 2006

Evidence that women of color are dealt with as anomalies in psychological research is discussed in order to: (a) inform researchers about the omissions, (b) stimulate interest in increased inclusion of women of color among research populations, and (c) demonstrate the need for increased diversity in research paradigms. It is noted that research paradigms directed at the study of the “universal woman” have in actuality focused on White middle class populations. This article examines the methodological and theoretical transformations that have occurred in the literature, and evaluates the extent to which researchers have successfully incorporated ethnicity into the study of gender issues. This is a call for an examination of women's experiences relative to ethnicity and a paradigmatic shift in the assumptions about what is worthy or appropriate for investigation.
Deconstructing The Myth Of The Nonaggressive Woman: A Feminist Analysis
Authors: White Jacquelyn W. , Kowalski Robin M.
Published: July 2006

One of the most pervasive and undisputed gender stereotypes is that men are more aggressive than women. However, this stereotype has, until recently, led researchers to conclude that women are nonaggressive and, therefore, to ignore the topic of female aggression as a distinct phenomenon. The basis of the myth, factors supporting its maintenance, and theories of female aggression are examined. A feminist reinterpretation of aggression that views women's and men's aggressive behavior within social structural arrangements that create and sustain differential power relations is presented.
The Global Health Burden Of Rape
Authors: Koss Mary P. , Heise Lori , Russo Nancy Felipe
Published: July 2006

Women's rights to be free from male violence are now recognized by the United Nations as fundamental human rights. Two parallel transformations in the understanding of rape have been central to the international effort to achieve this declaration. The first is increased recognition of the extent to which rape typically involves intimates. The second is the shift from regarding rape as a criminal justice matter towards an appreciation of its implications for women's health. The focus of this paper is the health burden of rape, which is addressed from the global perspective and includes discussion of its prevalence and psychological, sociocultural, somatic, and reproductive health consequences. Quantitative efforts to capture the relative economic impact of rape compared to other threats to women's health are also discussed. The paper concludes with an agenda for future research on rape that could enrich activists' efforts on behalf of women's health and development.
Reclaiming And Returning Gender To Context: Examples from Studies of Heterosexual Dual-Earner Families
Authors: Gilbert Lucia Albino
Published: July 2006

Gender receives relatively little attention as a critical aspect of context, despite the general acknowledgment among psychologists that human behavior needs to be studied within the context of societal norms and practices. In this article I explain why this is the case and then, using examples from the area of dual-earner families, describe ways we can give gender its rightful contextual place in research practices. By so doing I also argue that needed transformations can take place.
Understanding Women's Educational And Occupational Choices: Applying the Eccles et al. Model of Achievement-Related Choices
Authors: Eccles Jacquelynne S.
Published: July 2006

Despite recent efforts to increase the participation of women in advanced educational training and high-status professional fields, women and men are still concentrated in different occupations and educational programs, and women are still underrepresented in many high-status occupational fields—particularly those associated with physical science, engineering, and applied mathematics. Many factors, ranging from outright discrimination to the processes associated with gender role socialization, contribute to these gendered patterns of educational and occupational choices. This paper summarizes a set of social and psychological factors that Eccles and her colleagues have been studying for the past 15 years in an effort to understand the occupational and educational choices of women and men. The paper summarizes the key features of the theoretical model they developed and provides an overview of the empirical support now available for key aspects of this model. The implications of this model for understanding the link between gender roles and gendered educational and occupational decisions are discussed.
Reviews
Authors: Beyers Julie Miethke , Follingstad Diane R. , Breiter Heather D. , Marecek Jeanne , Cleveland Jeanette N.
Published: July 2006

Career Counseling for Women, W. Bruce Walsh and Samuel H. Osipow (Eds.). Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum, 1994. 385 pp. $34.50 (paper). ISBN 0-8058-1401–9.

It Could Happen to Anyone: Why Battered Women Stay, Ola W. Barnett and Alyce D. LaViolette. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage, 1993. 184 pp. $38.00. ISBN: 0-8039-5310–0.

Empowering and Healing the Battered Woman, Mary Ann Dutton. New York: Springer, 1992. 202 pp. $28.95. ISBN: 0-8261-7130–3.

Breaking Destructive Patterns: Multiple Strategies for Treating Partner Abuse, Janet A. Geller. New York: Free Press, 1992. 182 pp. $27.95. ISBN: 0-02-911605–8.

Against Therapy, Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson. Monroe, ME: Common Courage Press, 1988/1994. 340 pp. $15.95. ISBN 1-56751-022–1.

Changing Our Minds: Lesbian Feminism and Psychology, Celia Kitzinger and Rachel Perkins. New York: New York University Press, 1993. 216 pp. $14.95. ISBN: 0-8147-4646–2.

Cultures of Organizations. Three Perspectives, Joanne Martin. New York: Oxford University Press, 1992. 240 pp. $35.00. ISBN 0-19-507163–8.
Presidential Address
Authors: Hyde Janet Shibley
Published: July 2006

This article reviews policy issues involved in maternity leave or parental leave. Findings from the Wisconsin Maternity Leave and Health Project, a longitudinal interview study of 570 women and 550 of their husbands/ partners, are discussed, focusing especially on the issues of maternity leave and women's mental health, and fathers’ patterns of taking parental leave. I stress the importance of empirical research if feminist psychologists are to have an impact on public policy.
Silencing The Self
Authors: Thompson Janice M.
Published: July 2006

Silencing the self theory (Jack, 1991) holds that women's depression is closely related to experiences in close relationships, especially if women conform with societal norms for feminine relationship roles. In conforming, Jack believes that women develop relationship schema that heighten vulnerability to loss of self-esteem and depressive symptomatology. An exploratory study addressed relationships among self-report measures of silencing the self, dyadic adjustment, demographic variables, and depressive symptomatology in a community sample of 155 cohabiting women and men, including 37 heterosexual couples from which both partners provided data. Although relationship adjustment was no more closely associated with depressive symptomatology for women than for men, silencing the self was. Demographic variables (number of children, employment status, and income) accounted for a significant proportion of variance in depressive symptomatology for men but not for women. Women's self-reported silencing was related to both their own and their partner's relationship adjustment.
Emotional Contagion
Authors: Doherty R. William , Orimoto Lisa , Singelis Theodore M. , Hatfield Elaine , Hebb Janine
Published: July 2006

Theorists have proposed that men and women and those in various occupational groups should differ in their susceptibility to primitive emotional contagion. Study 1 was designed to explore the extent to which gender and occupation affected respondents’ self-reports of emotional contagion, as measured by the Emotional Contagion (EC) scale. As predicted, women in a variety of occupations secured higher total EC scores than did men. Study 2 was designed to determine the extent to which gender affected self-reports of emotional contagion (again as measured by the EC scale) and actual responsiveness to others’ emotions. As predicted, women received higher EC scores, reported sharing the targets’ emotions to a greater extent, and were rated by judges as displaying more emotional contagion than did men.
Bulimic Symptomatology in High School Girls
Authors: Pike Kathleen M.
Published: July 2006

This study tests the explanatory power of an integrated sociocultural and personality model in predicting bulimic symptomatology. Family, peer, and personality factors were assessed at three levels of analysis. The first level of the model measured the general functioning of the family system and friendship network. The second level assessed the extent to which the family system and friendship network were concerned with issues of weight and dieting, as well as the rate of eating disorders among members in these groups. The third level investigated the relationship of certain personality variables to bulimic symptoms. Based on self-report data from approximately 400 high school girls, correlates of bulimic symptomatology at each of the three levels of analysis were identified. An integrated model, in which the three levels of analysis were considered in unison, demonstrated that risk factors at each level of analysis cumulatively contribute to an increase in bulimic symptoms.
The Disempowering Effects of Media Violence Against Women on College Women
Authors: Reid Penny , Finchilescu Gillian
Published: July 2006

This study investigated the disempowering effect of exposure to media violence against women on female students. An initial study involving 284 female students described the development and evaluation of two forms of a scale measuring disempowerment. The second study investigated the effect of media violence using a Solomon Four-Group experimental design. Fifty-seven female students were divided into four groups that were shown video clips depicting scenes of violence directed either toward female or male victims. Half the groups completed the first form of the disempowerment scale prior to the viewing. All groups completed the second form of the scale after the viewing. Analysis confirmed that completion of the pretest scale did not differentially affect the participants viewing the female-victim clips. The results of the main analysis revealed that exposure to media aggression against women heightens feelings of disempowerment in female viewers.
Statistics Test Anxiety and Female Students
Authors: Onwuegbuzie Anthony John
Published: July 2006

Research suggests that high-anxious female students underperform in time-limited examinations compared to their low-anxious counterparts. Consequently, the purpose of this investigation was to determine whether differential performance on time-limited and time-unlimited statistics examinations, would be associated with test anxiety. Twenty-one female graduate students, enrolled in a statistics course, were assigned randomly to either a time-unlimited or time-limited examination condition. An interaction was found between test anxiety and examination condition, with high anxiety tending to be associated more strongly with underachievement in the time-limited than the time-unlimited condition. Implications for increasing the statistics performance of female students are discussed.
The Relationship Of Gender And Ethnicity To Self-Silencing And Depression Among College Students
Authors: Gratch Linda Vaden , Bassett Margaret E. , Attra Sharon L.
Published: July 2006

This study expands on the initial work with the Silencing the Self Scale (STSS; Jack, 1991) by presenting data using a more diverse, nonclinical sample. Included were both men and women ( n = 604) who were African American, Asian, Caucasian, and Hispanic. It was expected that women would be more self-silencing than men, and that there would be ethnic differences. There were three principal findings: (a) men were more self-silencing than were women on the STSS; (b) there was a main effect for ethnicity on the STSS, with Asians expressing the highest levels of self-silencing; and (c) there was a positive correlation between self-silencing and depression for all ethnic/gender groups.
The Dependency Needs And Perceived Availability And Adequacy Of Relationships In Female Adolescent Suicide Attempters
Authors: Bettridge Brenda J. , Favreau Olga Eizner
Published: July 2006

Traditional theories about female adolescent suicide attempters view them as experiencing difficulty in achieving adequate separation-individuation. However, recent work on female adolescence suggests that achieving greater interdependency within relationships rather than increased independence from them is an important goal for nonclinical nonsuicidal female adolescents. We investigated both dependency needs and the perceived availability and adequacy of relationships in 21 female adolescent attempters and 23 nonattempters. Dependency needs did not significantly differentiate suicide attempters from nonattempters. Attempters, however, did report both a smaller social network and fewer intimate relationships than nonattempters, as well as less satisfaction with these relationships. These preliminary results suggest that more research is required to establish whether dependency needs are indeed causally related to the female adolescents' suicide attempts. Future research should also investigate other risk factors such as relational dissatisfaction, familial suicide attempts, and abuse.
Inside Feminist Classrooms: Not A Simple Or Singular Story
Authors: Golden Carla
Published: July 2006

The Feminist Classroom, Frances A. Maher and Mary Kay Thompson Tetreault. New York: Basic Books, 1994. 303 pp., $25.00 (cloth), ISBN: 0-465-03302–4.
Women, Homelessness, And Substance Abuse: Moving Beyond the Stereotypes
Authors: Geissler Lisa J. , Bormann Carol A. , Kwiatkowski Carol F. , Braucht G. Nicholas , Reichardt Charles S.
Published: July 2006

This study examined the characteristics of homeless women with substance abuse problems. Data were collected on a sample of 323 homeless substance abusers. First, 49 women and 274 men were compared to demonstrate distinct problems and treatment needs of the women. Results showed that the women were more likely than the men to abuse drugs, but less likely to receive substance abuse treatment. In addition, women spent more time in doubled-up living arrangements, and were more likely to receive outpatient psychiatric treatment. Second, two subgroups of women were compared: those who had been homeless for 6 months or less, and those who had been homeless longer than 6 months during their lifetime. The women who had been homeless longer were less educated, younger when they first became homeless, and were more likely to abuse alcohol, to have been assaulted, and to have attempted suicide. Implications for research and treatment are discussed.
Family, Self, And Sociocultural Contributions To Body-Image Attitudes Of African-American Women
Authors: Harris Shanette M.
Published: July 2006

This study examined factors that influenced body-image attitudes of 90 African-American college women. Participants completed two instruments assessing body image attitudes and measures of social self-esteem, racial identity attitudes, and family and personal characteristics. Data analyses indicated that self and sociocultural variables were associated with evaluations of physical appearance, fitness, and investment in health. Dissatisfaction with the total body was predicted with family variables, whereas family and self variables were related to satisfaction with body areas. Fathers' education; body mass and fathers' education; body mass and social self-esteem; internalization of racial attitudes; and social self-esteem best predicted body areas satisfaction, appearance evaluation, fitness evaluation, and health orientation, respectively. Implications for the divergence/convergence of subjective measures of body image are discussed and suggestions offered for future studies.
B. F. Skinner's Radical Behaviorism: Historical Misconstructions and Grounds for Feminist Reconstructions
Authors: Ruiz Maria R.
Published: July 2006

Feminist critiques of traditional psychological approaches have generated feminist revisions, most notably in psychoanalytic and developmental theory. Although behaviorism has attracted strong objections from feminist critics, claims of its antithetical positioning vis-à-vis feminist theory construction have generally remained unchallenged. A preliminary step in formulating grounds for a synthesis is to clarify multiple meanings of behaviorism. Specifically, the fusion of Watson's methodological behaviorism and Skinner's radical behaviorism in the literature must be disentangled in order to address the latter's potential as a conceptual framework for constructing feminist theory. Key conceptual features of radical behaviorism that suggest its potential as a vehicle for building a feminist epistemology include: radical behaviorism's contextualistic world view, its interpretation of agency, its treatment of private experience and self knowledge, and its understanding of the pivotal functions of the verbal community.
Women Who Use Domestic Violence Shelters: Changes in Depression Over Time
Authors: Campbell Rebecca , Sullivan Cris M. , Davidson William S.
Published: July 2006

This study examined the levels of depression reported by women who had used a domestic violence shelter. Depressive symptoms were assessed three times: immediately after shelter exit, 10 weeks thereafter, and 6 months later. Whereas 83% of the women reported at least mild depression on the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression (CES-D) scale upon shelter exit, only 58% were depressed 10 weeks later. This did not change at the 6-month follow-up. An ecological, longitudinal model was evaluated to predict battered women's depression 8 1/2 months postshelter exit. Results of hierarchical regression analyses suggested that, after controlling for previous levels of depression, the women's feelings of powerlessness, experience of abuse, and decreased social support contributed to their depression symptoms. The women's scores on these three variables (feelings of powerlessness, abuse, and social support) at 10 weeks postshelter exit and at 6-month follow-up predicted depression at 6 months. Thus, there were both predictive and concurrent effects for these constructs. Implications for clinical and community interventions are discussed.
Raising Feminists
Authors: Katz Phyllis A.
Published: July 2006

This article considers the reasons for raising feminist children, how this concept might be operationalized, and what the correlates of such gender-flexible patterns might be. The data pertinent to gender-role acquisition and gender flexibility are drawn from an ongoing longitudinal study of over 200 children and their families that originated when the children were 6 months of age and continues until they enter school at age 6. Results suggest that despite the overdetermined and inevitable learning of gender stereotypes, variation exists in the degree to which even young children subscribe to the stereotypes. These variations seem to relate to some realms of parental behavior.
Another Look At The Effects Of Appearance, Gender, And Job Type On Performance-Based Decisions
Authors: Drogosz Lisa M. , Levy Paul E.
Published: July 2006

The present study attempted to replicate and extend Heilman and Stopeck's (1985a) Lack of Fit Model. Using the Lack of Fit Model's proposal that attractiveness enhances perceived gender characteristics, we examined the effects of attractiveness and performance evaluations of persons in jobs rated as masculine, feminine, and neutral. Results were not consistent with the Model and did not replicate the results of the earlier study. Instead, attractiveness emerged as an asset regardless of job type or gender of employee. Attractive men and women were given higher overall ratings in all three jobs. In addition, attractive ratings were related to masculinity-femininity ratings. These findings are discussed in light of demographic and attitudinal changes in the workplace.
The Effects Of Hair Color And Cosmetic Use On Perceptions Of A Female's Ability
Authors: Kyle Diana J. , Mahler Heike I. M.
Published: July 2006

This experiment examined whether a female applicant's hair color and use of cosmetics might affect perceptions of her ability for a professional position. One hundred thirty six college students reviewed the identical professional resume of a female applicant for the position of a staff accountant. Attached to the resume was a photograph of the stimulus female applicant either wearing or not wearing cosmetics and depicted with brunette, red, or blonde hair color. The results demonstrated significant main effects of both hair color and cosmetic use. Specifically, the applicant was rated more capable and was assigned a higher salary both when depicted with brunette hair color and when depicted without cosmetics. There were no interactions between hair color and cosmetic use. The findings demonstrate that biases regarding personal appearance may affect judgments about a female applicant's ability.
Language Matters: The Selling Of Sex Differences
Authors: Bohan Janis S.
Published: July 2006

Talking Difference: On Gender and Language, Mary Crawford. London: Sage, 1995. 207 pp., $19.95 (paper), ISBN: 0-8039-8828-1; $65 (cloth), ISBN: 0-8039-8827–3.
Single-Sex Versus Mixed-Sex Classes and Gender Schemata in Children and Adolescents: A Longitudinal Comparison
Authors: Signorella Margaret L. , Frieze Irene Hanson , Hershey Susanne W.
Published: July 2006

Positive effects for women and girls of all-female schools have been proposed, although there is relatively little clear empirical support for these beneficial results. Much of the cited research is based on elite all-female institutions or on parochial schools. This study takes advantage of the change of a private, nonparochial school from all girls to both sexes. Longitudinal data from grades 2 through 12 were collected over the course of the academic year to study the results of this transition. Stereotyping declined with age and over time in both types of classrooms. Girls in single-sex classrooms showed some tendency to be more stereotyped in their perceptions of mixed-sex classrooms than did the girls who were actually in that setting. Thus, none of the measures showed any significant increase over time in stereotyping among girls in mixed-sex classes. Implications of these findings are discussed.
Feminist Voices of Color: History, Identity, and Empowerment
Authors: Banks Martha E.
Published: July 2006

African American Single Mothers: Understanding Their Lives and Families, Bette J. Dickerson (Ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, 1995. 200 pp., $48.00 (cloth), ISBN: 0-8039-4911-1; $24.00 (paper), ISBN: 0-8039-4912-x.

Black Women in America, Kim Marie Vaz (Ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, 1995. 396 pp., $52.00 (cloth), ISBN: 0-8039-5454-9; $24.95 (paper), ISBN: 0-8039-5455-7.

Understanding Latino Families: Scholarship, Policy, and Practice, Ruth E. Zambrana (Ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, 1995. 242 pp., $47.95 (cloth), ISBN: 0-8039-5609-6, $23.95 (paper), ISBN: 0-8039-5610-X.
Sexual Assault History and Women's Reproductive and Sexual Health
Authors: Golding Jacqueline M.
Published: July 2006

Associations of sexual assault history with reproductive and sexual symptoms were evaluated in 3,419 women randomly selected from two communities. Sexual assault was associated with excessive menstrual bleeding, genital burning, and painful intercourse (whether or not attributable to disease or injury), medically explained missing two menstrual periods, and medically unexplained dysmenorrhea, menstrual irregularity, and lack of sexual pleasure. Physically violent assaults and those committed by strangers were most strongly related to reproductive symptoms. Multiple assaults, assaults accomplished by persuasion, spouse assault, and completed intercourse were most strongly related to sexual symptoms. Assault was occasionally associated more strongly with reproductive symptoms among women with lower income or less education, possibly because of economic stress or differences in assault circumstances. Associations with unexplained menstrual irregularity were strongest among African American women; ethnic differences in reported circumstances of assault appeared to account for these differences.
The Attitudes Toward Women Scale and Attitude Change in College Students
Authors: Spence Janet T. , Hahn Eugene D.
Published: July 2006

To determine cohort changes in gender-role attitudes, responses to the 15-item form of the Attitudes Toward Women Scale (AWS; Spence & Helmreich, 1972a, 1978) were compared for students at the same university tested in 1972, 1976, 1980, and 1992. In both males and females, members of the 1992 cohort were the most egalitarian, and members of the 1972 cohort were the least egalitarian. In all groups, women were significantly less traditional in their attitudes than men. As has been found in previous studies, detailed analyses of the data from the 1992 cohort revealed that the scale was unifactorial, but that the score distributions were skewed. There was also some indication of ceiling effects at the egalitarian end of the scale, particularly in women. The implications of these latter results for the usefulness of the AWS in current research were explored.
Mother, Child, and Family Factors Related to Employment of Single Mothers With LBW Preschoolers
Authors: Youngblut JoAnne M. , Singer Lynn T. , Madigan Elizabeth A. , Swegart Leslie A. , Rodgers Willard L.
Published: July 2006

The purpose of this study was to identify maternal, child, and family factors related to the employment status and employment history of single mothers of low-birth-weight (LBW) and full-term preschoolers. A sample of 121 female-headed, single-parent families with 3-, 4-, and 5-year-old LBW and full-term children was recruited through admission records to three Level III neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) and birth records of two normal newborn nurseries. Results show that the birth of an LBW infant was not related to employment status, number of hours employed per week, or employment history for single mothers. Employed mothers had significantly more education and more positive attitudes toward employment. Controlling for other factors, never being married, and having more children, more federal income, and less positive employment attitudes were predictive of nonemployment. Both employed and nonemployed women expressed preference for employment.
A Comparison of two Cohorts of College Students in Responses to the Male-Female Relations Questionnaire
Authors: Sherman Paul J. , Spence Janet T.
Published: July 2006

Two cohorts of male and female introductory psychology students from the same university, tested in 1978 and 1992, were given the male or the female form of the Male-Female Relations Questionnaire (MFRQ; Spence, Helmreich, & Sawin, 1980), which assesses respondents' personal gender-role preferences and behaviors in interpersonal situations. In both genders, the means of the majority of MFRQ items decreased significantly from 1978 to 1992, but item means were still fairly close to the midpoint of the response scale. Women tended to be less willing than men to assign leadership roles to men but in social interactions with the other gender, they admitted to deliberately acting “feminine” as much or more than men admitted to acting “masculine.” Correlations between the MFRQ and the Attitudes Toward Women Scale (AWS; Spence & Helmreich, 1978) were also determined and found to be substantial. Psychometric differences between the instruments suggested, however, that the MFRQ provides unique information and may often be more useful than the AWS in detecting relationships with other variables.
Power and the Quality of Same-Sex Friendships
Authors: Veniegas Rosemary C. , Peplau Letitia Anne
Published: July 2006

Does the quality of same-sex friendship depend on the gender of the friends and the balance of power between friends? Fifty-four men and 60 women undergraduates evaluated two of their same-sex friendships, one equal in power and one unequal in power. The quality of each friendship was rated in terms of emotional closeness, satisfaction, liking, self-disclosure, and rewards. In general, most young adults evaluated their friendships positively. Mixed-model multivariate analyses of variance (MANOVAs) found significant main effects of gender and power on ratings of quality, but no interactions. Consistent with previous research, women generally evaluated their same-sex friendships more positively than did men. Gender differences were relatively small in magnitude and were not found for all indices of relationship quality, however. As predicted, participants rated equal-power friendships significantly higher than unequal-power friendships on all measures of quality. Power appears to be an important but largely neglected element of friendship.