bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A Prospective Analysis Of The Relationships Among Sexual Assault Experiences: An Extension of Previous Findings
Authors: Gidycz Christine A. , Hanson Kimberly , Layman Melissa J.
Published: July 2006

Research has indicated that sexual assault on college campuses is pervasive (Koss, Gidycz, & Wisniewski, 1987) and that a history of sexual victimization serves as a risk factor for future victimization (Gidycz, Coble, Latham, & Layman, 1993). The purpose of the present investigation was to extend the findings of Gidycz et al. (1993) in examining the link among sexual victimization experiences. College women were evaluated for child and adolescent sexual victimization, family adjustment, alcohol use, psychological adjustment, interpersonal functioning, and sexual behavior. Women were re-evaluated at 3, 5-6, and 9 months for adult victimization, psychological adjustment, interpersonal functioning, and sexual behavior. Loglinear analysis indicated that chances of being victimized in one time period increased with greater severity of victimization in the preceding time period. The path analysis assessing the mediating effects of these variables on victimization experiences was partially supported. Implications for future research and preventative efforts are discussed.
Vicarious Trauma: The Effects on Female Counselors of Working with Sexual Violence Survivors
Authors: Schauben Laura J. , Frazier Patricia A.
Published: July 2006

The primary purpose of this study was to assess the effects on counselors of working with sexual violence survivors. Members of a women psychologists' organization and a group of sexual violence counselors completed questionnaires regarding the extent of their work with survivors and their psychological functioning. Counselors who had a higher percentage of survivors in their caseload reported more disrupted beliefs, (particularly about the goodness of other people), more symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, and more self-reported vicarious trauma. Symptomatology was not related to counselors' own history of victimization. Qualitative data regarding difficult and enjoyable aspects of working with survivors also were gathered, along with data on the strategies used by counselors to cope with work-related stress. Implications for counselor training are discussed.
Feminist Research Methods: A Content Analysis of Psychology and Social Science Textbooks
Authors: Campbell Rebecca , Schram Pamela J.
Published: July 2006

This research examined the extent to which research methods textbooks in psychology and general social science discuss feminist challenges and approaches to social science ( N = 40 textbooks). Two dimensions were examined. First, within the “nonsexist” dimensions, textbooks were analyzed to determine if they used nonsexist language and if they discussed ways to avoid sexist bias in research. The second dimension was “profeminist.” Within this dimension four subdomains receiving considerable attention from feminist researchers were explored: (a) epistemology (or “ways of knowing”); (b) objectivity and subjectivity; (c) the relationship between the researcher and the researched; and (d) qualitative versus quantitative methodologies. Results demonstrated that although the majority of the textbooks did not use sexist language, they did not move much beyond this standard. There was little discussion of feminist challenges to these research issues. When the textbook authors did mention these topics, their analyses were most often inconsistent with feminist approaches.
“Can't You See The Courage, The Strength That I Have?”: Listening to Urban Adolescent Girls Speak about Their Relationships
Authors: Way Niobe
Published: July 2006

This study explored, qualitatively, the ways in which 12 urban, poor and working-class adolescent girls spoke about themselves, their relationships, and their school over a 3 year period. The ability to be outspoken or to “speak one's mind” in relationships was identified as the most prevalent theme in their interviews. Ten of the 12 adolescent girls indicated that they were able to speak openly and honestly in many of their relationships. These outspoken voices were focused not only on expressing anger and disagreement in relationships, but also on voicing care and connection. Seven of the adolescents indicated, however, that while they were outspoken in their relationships with parents, teachers, and female friends, they were not willing to “speak their minds” in their relationships with boys. These findings raise critical questions regarding the psychology of girls and women.
Concealing Respondents' Gender In Interview Transcripts
Authors: Clopton Nancy A. , Sorell Gwendolyn T.
Published: July 2006

Research into gender differences in moral reasoning may require that gender clues be removed from interview transcripts so that the gender of respondents is concealed. In the present study, graduate students were asked to read such transcripts and guess the gender of the respondent. Graduate students were able to guess the gender of the respondent with significant accuracy. Female and male students were equally accurate, and experience with interviewing or with transcripts did not increase accuracy in guessing the gender of the respondent.
Acceptance And Expectation Of Sexual Aggression In College Students
Authors: Cook Sarah L.
Published: July 2006

This study examines college students' acceptance and expectations of sexual aggression in common dating situations. Five hundred and forty-six college students completed a measure of rape acceptance beliefs to explore the “campus climate” regarding sexual assault. Results suggest that consensus on definitions of unacceptable behavior in dating situations is emerging: young college men and women overwhelmingly rejected the use of violent and coercive behavior. A surprisingly high number, however, expected this type of behavior in a variety of situations, for example, on dates involving the use of drugs or alcohol. Women's expectations of sexual aggression generally surpassed men's. Yet, in several situations, participants, regardless of their gender, expected the use of verbal threats of harm in order to obtain intercourse. Students expected the use of force to obtain sexual intercourse the least. Results are discussed in relation to the reporting behavior of sexual assault victims and the development of primary prevention techniques.
Matrix Of Tensions: A Model of Mothering
Authors: Oberman Yael , Josselson Ruthellen
Published: July 2006

Questions about how women integrate maternity into their sense of self have generated a quest for an heuristic model. We suggest that mothers struggle to balance themselves amid a set of polarities/tensions and that mothering can be situated within a phenomenological matrix of such tensions. We propose a model that includes the following developmental issues: loss of self/expansion of self; omnipotence/liability; life-destroying/life-promoting behavior; maternal isolation/maternal community; cognitive strategies/intuitive responses; maternal desexualization/ maternal sexualization. Investigation and understanding of how mothers cope with these tensions could yield insights into both universal and particular aspects of mothering.

I held him so and rocked him. I cradled him. I closed my eyes and leaned on his dark head. But the sun in its course emerged from among the water towers of down-town office buildings and suddenly shone white and bright on me. Then through the short fat fingers of my son, interred forever, like a black and white barred king in Alcatraz, my heart lit up in stripes.

— Grace Paley, The Little Disturbances of Man
Predicting Gender-Role Attitudes In Adolescent Females: Ability, Agency, and Parental Factors
Authors: Ahrens Julia A. , O'Brien Karen M.
Published: July 2006

The contribution of ability, agency, and parental factors to the prediction of gender-role attitudes was investigated in a sample of 409 adolescent females enrolled in a private, college-preparatory high school. Results indicated that ability and agency were predictive of gender-role attitudes, whereas parental factors were not significant contributors. Recommendations for further research examining the etiology of gender-role attitudes are provided given the critical connection between gender-role attitudes and success in occupational and interpersonal areas for young women.
Acculturation, Body Image, Self-Esteem, And Eating-Disorder Symptomatology In Adolescent Mexican American Women
Authors: Joiner Greg W. , Kashubeck Susan
Published: July 2006

In this article the relationship among acculturation, body image, self-esteem, and eating disorder symptomatology in 120 Mexican American adolescent women was investigated. Surprisingly, acculturation levels were not related to anorexic or bulimic symptomatology, self-esteem, body dissatisfaction or thinness of ideal and attractive figures. Lower levels of self-esteem predicted higher levels of anorexic and bulimic symptomatology. Body mass was positively related to bulimic scores. In contrast to Lester and Petrie (1995), body dissatisfaction was significantly related to eating-disorder symptomatology. The high levels of disordered eating attitudes and behaviors found in this study suggest that rather than exclusively being an Anglo, middle-to upper-class phenomenon, eating-disordered behavior also exists within lower socioeconomic status Mexican American adolescent women.
Reinventing The Cycle: Two Views Of The Psychology Of Domestic Violence
Authors: Crowley Joan E.
Published: July 2006

The Domestic Assault of Women: Psychological and Criminal Justice Perspectives. Revised and Expanded Edition, Donald G. Dutton. Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada: UBC Press, 1995. 337 pp., $22.95 (paper), ISBN: 0-7748-0462–9.

Loving to Survive: Sexual Terror, Men's Violence, and Women's Lives. Dee L. R. Graham with Edna I. Rawlings and Roberta K. Rigsby. New York: New York University Press, 1994. 321 pp., $35.00 (cloth), $17.95 (paper), ISBN: 0-8147-3058–2.
Practice and Research: Two New Books on Rape
Authors: Ryan Kathryn M.
Published: July 2006

Intimate Betrayal: Understanding and Responding to the Trauma of Acquaintance Rape, Vernon R. Wieheand Ann L. Richards. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage, 1995. 214 pp., $19.95 (paper), ISBN: 0-8039-7361-6; $45.00 (cloth), ISBN: 0-8039-7360-8.

Attitudes Toward Rape: Feminist and Social Psychological Perspectives, Colleen A. Ward. London: Sage, 1995. 232 pp., $19.95 (paper), ISBN: 0-8039-8594-0; $65.00 (cloth), 0-8039-8593-2.
Despite Spellcheck, “Foremother” is a Real (and Necessary) Word
Authors: Vetter Louise
Published: July 2006

Feminist Foremothers in Women's Studies, Psychology, and Mental Health, Phyllis Chesler, Esther D. Rothblum, and Ellen Cole (Eds.). Binghamton, NY: Harrington Park Press, 1995. 541 pp., $29.95 (paper), ISBN: 1-56023-078-9. Published simultaneously by The Haworth Press, cloth ($49.95) and as Women & Therapy, 17(1-4).
Preventing Acquaintance Rape Through Education
Authors: Lonsway Kimberly A.
Published: July 2006

Emerging information that rape primarily occurs between acquaintances has not only exploded our understanding of this problem, but forced a reexamination of our notions of prevention. In recent years, the vast majority of rape prevention programs have taken the format of educational workshops, with the underlying assumption that change in rape-supportive ideologies will decrease the actual incidence of sexual aggression. This article critically reviews such rape prevention education with particular focus on common techniques such as: “debunking” rape mythology, generating participant interaction, providing sexuality education and a feminist orientation, and avoiding confrontational approaches. Finally, theoretical and practical concerns are discussed regarding previous experiences of sexual victimization or perpetration, the conceptualization and use of outcome measures, issues of program facilitation, and processes underlying change in rape-supportive ideologies. It is concluded that future research must seriously address these many issues through thoughtful conceptualization and rigorous experimentation, so that the promise of rape prevention can be fully realized.
Fathering is a Feminist Issue
Authors: Silverstein Louise B.
Published: July 2006

Feminist theory has not yet addressed the ways in which the ideology of fatherhood has contributed to interlocking inequalities for women in both the workplace and family life. This paper is an effort to inject a feminist voice into the redefinition of fathering, which I see as essential both to the achievement of equality for women and to the reconstruction of the masculine gender role. I begin by describing how our unconscious gender ideology pressures all families to become traditional patriarchal families. I address feminist concerns about the dangers of overvaluing fathers' contributions to child development. I review the research evidence on whether fathers have the same potential for nurturing as mothers, and examine gay fathering in particular. Finally, I suggest that redefining fathering to emphasize nurturing as well as providing will place attachment and connection at the center of gender socialization for men. Masculinity would then become much less oppressive for men as well as for women.
Conducting Nonsexist Research, Prevention, and Treatment with Fathers and Mothers
Authors: Phares Vicky
Published: July 2006

In published research and in unpublished doctoral dissertation research, fathers are underrepresented in the investigation of child and family functioning. A number of possible explanations for this underrepresentation are discussed, including researchers' use of sexist theories that either directly or indirectly result in mother blaming, family demographics that suggest fathers are less present in the lives of their children when compared with mothers, and researchers' perceptions of fathers' unwillingness to participate in research. In order to encourage nonsexist family research that includes both mothers and fathers, recommendations are provided to increase the inclusion of fathers in child and family research. Specifically, researchers are encouraged to always provide parallel investigations of paternal factors when maternal factors are investigated. Researchers are also encouraged to investigate similarities as well as differences between mothers and fathers in relation to their children's functioning. Implications for the involvement of fathers in prevention and clinical interventions are discussed. In order to move beyond nonsexist research, feminist research issues are also raised.
The Effects of Childhood Family Stress on Women's Depressive Symptoms
Authors: Forest Kay B. , Moen Phyllis , Dempster-McClain Donna
Published: July 2006

This study uses a life course approach to observe the interaction between stressful childhood events and recent undesirable events to predict depressive symptoms in women. Data are from a community sample ( N = 205) of adult daughters from the Cornell Women's Roles Project, aged 26-58 years. Results indicate that women who experienced mild stressors during childhood are less likely to have depressive responses to undesirable events than are those who did not have stressful family backgrounds. This buffering influence appears to be partially mediated through a woman's belief in her control over external events. In the absence of childhood strains, a close father—daughter relationship during childhood may also teach women protective mastery skills. Overall, findings suggest that women's differing depressive responses to undesirable events follow a developmental pathway beginning with early childhood experiences. We suggest that the milder childhood stressors measured in this study stimulated an adaptive family environment from which these women were able to garner life course coping strategies.
Evaluating Measures of Contemporary Sexism
Authors: Campbell Bernadette , Schellenberg E. Glenn , Senn Charlene Y.
Published: July 2006

Two recently published measures of contemporary sexist attitudes were examined and compared with a sample of 106 Canadian college students. Swim, Aikin, Hall, and Hunter's (1995) Modern Sexism scale was found to be an acceptable measure of sexist attitudes in terms of its internal reliability and its ability to predict other gender-related political attitudes. Although the Modern Sexism scale and the Neosexism scale (Tougas, Brown, Beaton, & Joly, 1995) were equally good at predicting support for the feminist movement and attitudes toward lesbians and gay men, the Neosexism scale had better internal reliability and exhibited stronger gender differences. Moreover, the Neosexism scale was superior at predicting value orientations relevant to modern prejudices.
Prevalence and Predictors of Cyclic and Noncyclic Affective Change
Authors: Hardie Elizabeth A.
Published: July 2006

The prevalence of cyclic and week-to-week affective change was prospectively assessed over two consecutive menstrual cycles in a nonclinical sample of 101 employed women. Although 40% perceived themselves to have premenstrual syndrome (PMS), none showed a recurrent pattern of marked premenstrual affective change. Marked affective change was as likely to occur in the postmenstrual as the premenstrual phase. Weekly marked change was as prevalent as cyclic change. Although social health (perceived quantity and quality of interpersonal relationships) and subjective stress consistently predicted both cyclic and weekly affective states, the contribution of social health was 10 times greater than that of stress. The role of social health requires further examination, as does the widespread misuse of the PMS label to account for occasional changes in affect.
Is a Little (Psychiatric) Knowledge a Dangerous Thing?: The Impact of Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder on Perceptions of Premenstrual Women
Authors: Nash Heather C. , Chrisler Joan C.
Published: July 2006

One hundred thirty-four participants completed a revised Menstrual Distress Questionnaire (MDQ), which included criteria for premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD). Two weeks later the participants again completed the revised MDQ after reading either the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV; American Psychiatric Association, 1994) diagnostic criteria for the PMDD or a copy of the same criteria retitled “Episodic Dysphoric Disorder,” with all menstrual cycle references removed. Knowledge of the diagnosis did not affect women's perceptions of their own menstrual cycle-related symptoms, but it increased participants' perceptions of premenstrual changes as a problem for women in general. Chi-square analyses revealed that participants were more willing to attach a psychiatric diagnosis to women they know if they believed the diagnosis was related to the menstrual cycle.
Body Dissatisfaction Among Lesbian College Students: The Conflict of Straddling Mainstream and Lesbian Cultures
Authors: Beren Susan E. , Hayden Helen A. , Wilfley Denise E. , Striegel-Moore Ruth H.
Published: July 2006

Research examining body dissatisfaction among lesbians has attempted to compare lesbians' and heterosexual women's attitudes toward their bodies. Studies have yielded mixed results, some indicating that lesbians, compared to heterosexual women, are more satisfied with their bodies, and some indicating that the two groups of women are equally dissatisfied. In an attempt to more closely explore lesbians' attitudes toward their bodies, we conducted interviews with 26 lesbian college students and inquired into how the following areas might be related to body-image concerns: (a) lesbian beauty ideals, (b) the sources through which lesbian beauty ideals are conveyed, (c) lesbian conflict about beauty, (d) negative stereotypes about lesbians' appearance, and (e) lesbian concerns about feminine identity. Results indicated that young adult lesbians embrace a beauty ideal that encompasses both thinness and fitness. Whereas mainstream sources, such as women's magazines and peer pressure seem to influence lesbian college students to value a thinner body ideal, sexual relationships with women encouraged acceptance of one's body. Conflict between mainstream and lesbian values about the importance of weight and overall appearance was repeatedly voiced by the respondents. The complexity of lesbians' feelings about their bodies is discussed, and future directions for research are suggested.
Bar Victimization of Women
Authors: Parks Kathleen A. , Miller Brenda A.
Published: July 2006

Little is known about the types and specific circumstances that surround the victimization of women who drink in the public context of bars. This study provides a preliminary description of the types of violence experienced by women bar drinkers and the roles of exposure and impairment as risk factors for encountering bar-related aggression. Both quantitative and qualitative data were collected from 52 women bar drinkers through self-administered questionnaires and focus-group discussions about their lifestyles, alcohol and drug use, and patterns of bar drinking. Nearly half of the women (48.1%) had experienced physical violence (e.g., assault) and one third (32.6%) had experienced either attempted or completed rape associated with drinking in a bar. Our findings indicate that women who regularly drink in bars experience a substantial amount of physical and sexual aggression associated with these settings.
Physical Attractiveness, Body Image, and Women's Sexual Self-Schema
Authors: Wiederman Michael W. , Hurst Shannon R.
Published: July 2006

Recently, Andersen and Cyranowski (1994) presented a self-report measure of women's sexual self-schema, or cognitive view of the self regarding sexuality. In the current study, we investigated potential relationships between women's sexual self-schema and physical attractiveness, body size and shape, and body image. Young adult women ( N = 199) completed questionnaires and were weighed, measured, and rated for facial attractiveness. Results revealed that sexual self-schema was unrelated to body size or shape, general body dissatisfaction, history of teasing about weight, and degree of investment in personal appearance. Sexual self-schema scores significantly correlated with experimenter-rated facial attractiveness, self-rated facial and bodily attractiveness, and degree of social avoidance due to concerns over personal appearance, however. In a multiple regression analysis, only self-rated facial attractiveness and social avoidance were unique predictors. Results are discussed with regard to implications for the development of women's sexual self-schema and directions for future research.
Is Sexual Orientation a Matter of Choice?
Authors: Rosenbluth Susan
Published: July 2006

Ninety women in lesbian and heterosexual couples were compared on relationship values, views of same-gender and cross-gender intimate relationships, and perceived choice of sexual orientation. Both groups reported similar values, levels of self-esteem, and capacity for intimacy. The majority in both groups described their relationships with women as more emotionally and intellectually intimate than those with men. A majority of women in lesbian couples (58%) and a third of women in heterosexual couples reported choosing the orientation of their current sexual relationship. Women with male partners did not perceive major differences between homosexual and heterosexual relationships, citing sexual attraction as the primary reason they chose a male partner. In contrast, many women with female partners characterized lesbian relationships as more intimate and equal, and less gender-role stereotyped, frequently citing these characteristics, along with sexual attraction, as reasons for their relationship preference.
Making Room for Many Feminisms
Authors: Crowley-Long Kathleen
Published: July 2006

There is a pervasive but implicit emphasis on a liberal feminist political agenda within the field of the psychology of women. This perspective is reflected by and inadvertently reproduced in many introductory texts to the psychology of women, although the perspective is usually unacknowledged. I argue that authors need to make their political perspectives explicit and to find ways to include other feminist viewpoints. Greater inclusion of socialist and radical feminist theoretical perspectives will strengthen the discipline of feminist psychology and promote greater inclusion of marginalized groups.
A Comparison of Male and Female College Students' Experiences of Sexual Coercion
Authors: O'Sullivan Lucia F. , Byers E. Sandra , Finkelman Larry
Published: July 2006

Research comparing men's and women's experiences of sexual coercion has typically assessed differences in prevalence rates and risk. We extended this line of research by comparing the contexts of sexual coercion and reactions to sexually coercive experiences in an attempt to understand the meanings that men and women attribute to these events. Participants were 433 randomly selected college students who responded to an anonymous survey. In line with past research, more men than women reported being sexually coercive, and more women than men reported being sexually coerced in the preceding year. There was a great degree of correspondence between men's and women's reports of the contexts within which sexual coercion occurred. According to their reports, sexual coercion occurred primarily within the heterosexual dating context. Compared to men, however, women reported more negative reactions and stronger resistance to the use of sexual coercion. These findings emphasize how comparisons of prevalence rates alone may obscure important differences in the phenomenology of sexually coercive incidents for men and women. Findings are discussed in terms of implications for the development of education and prevention programs and the need to reevaluate current approaches to interpreting prevalence reports.
The Meaning of MS
Authors: Crawford Mary , Stark Amy C. , Renner Catherine Hackett
Published: July 2006

When Ms. was first introduced as an alternative to Miss or Mrs. it was perceived as a radical feminist innovation. Today, its use is unremarkable, even normative. This study examines two aspects of the meaning of Ms.: changes in its connotative meaning over time, and its current comparability to other titles. Female ( n = 83) and male ( n = 54) college students rated courtesy titles (Ms., Miss, Mrs., Mr.) on a set of bipolar adjective pairs composing a semantic differential scale in an exact replication of a 1978 study. Of the four titles, the largest change in meaning over time was for Ms., and the direction of the change was positive. These results document the social assimilation of a new gender-related concept.
Developing a Scale to Measure the Diversity of Feminist Attitudes
Authors: Henley Nancy M. , Meng Karen , O'Brien Delores , McCarthy William J. , Sockloskie Robert J.
Published: July 2006

This article reports two studies aimed at developing a new scale of attitudes toward women, incorporating six theoretically derived perspectives: conservative; liberal, radical, socialist, and cultural feminist; and women of color (womanist). In Study 1, an initial pool of 306 items was given to 117 respondents. Selection of 10 attitudinal and 3 behavioral items from each perspective for the final scale was based chiefly on item-total correlations. In Study 2, the Feminist Perspectives Scale was administered to 344 respondents and showed reasonable reliability and validity. For Femscore, a composite of five feminist attitudinal subscales, Cronbach's alpha was .91; test–retest correlations were .91 at 2 weeks and .86 at 4 weeks. Empirical data provided generally good support for the six perspectives, and factor analysis produced partial support for the six-perspective structure.
Measuring Sexist Discrimination in the Workplace
Authors: Yoder Janice D. , McDonald Theodore W.
Published: July 2006

Surveys of 14 African American and 30 White women firefighters support reliability and validity claims for the Sexist Discrimination in the Workplace subscale of the Schedule of Sexist Events, developed by Klonoff and Landrine (1995). The more sexist events at work these women reported in the past year, the lower the perceived valuation of respondents by coworkers and the greater the job stresses associated with token status, with being a pioneering woman and with being treated differently.
Sexual Aggression Among Adolescents
Authors: Krahé Barbara
Published: July 2006

This study examines the prevalence of sexual aggression among adolescents from both former East and West Germany. Koss and Oros' (1982) Sexual Experiences Survey (SES) was employed to measure sexual aggression (male version) and sexual victimization (female version). Almost 17% of female respondents reported forced sexual experiences that qualify as criminal offenses under German law. The total percentage including all forms of unwanted sexual contacts amounted to over 50%. Among male respondents, almost 15% admitted sexual behaviors that qualify as criminal offenses, with an overall rate of coercive sexual behaviors of over 44%. Token resistance and number of sexual partners were associated with a higher risk of sexual victimization in the female sample. Among male respondents, peer pressure, self-reported rape proclivity, anger, and disinhibition predicted sexually aggressive behaviors.
An Acquaintance Rape Prevention Program
Authors: Pinzone-Glover Holly A. , Gidycz Christine A. , Jacobs Cecilia Dine
Published: July 2006

The present study investigated the effects of an acquaintance-rape prevention program on college students' attitudes toward rape and attitudes toward women, perceptions of acquaintance-rape scenarios, and rape empathy. Participants were led to believe that they were participating in two separate experiments in order to decrease demand characteristics. Results indicated that intervention group men and women became more empathic toward the victim than the control group, postintervention. Within the intervention group, men changed more in their attitudes toward women postintervention than did women. In addition to positive attitude change, results with the date-rape scenarios suggested that intervention-group men became more certain of their definitions of rape situations postintervention. Prior to the intervention, women were generally more certain of their definitions than were men, with intervention-group men approximating women's responses postintervention.
Women and Body Hair
Authors: Basow Susan A. , Braman Amie C.
Published: July 2006

This study examines college students' attitudes toward and perceptions of a woman with body hair as a function of respondent gender and feminist attitudes. Participants reacted to a video of a White woman either with or without visible leg and underarm hair. Results supported the hypothesis that a woman with body hair will be seen as less sexually and interpersonally attractive than the same woman without body hair. Specifically, the woman with body hair was viewed as less sociable, intelligent, happy, and positive, and as more aggressive, active, and strong. Attitudes toward feminism predicted attitudes about body hair in general, which in turn predicted reactions to the model with body hair. Despite the fact that women students had more positive attitudes about body hair and more feminist attitudes than their male counterparts, there were no gender differences in reactions to the model with body hair. Implications regarding this pervasive cultural norm are discussed.
But Fingerprints Don't Lie, EH?
Authors: Carroll Michael P.
Published: July 2006

For more than a decade, feminist theorists have found fault with studies that purport to find significant gender differences with regard to cognitive ability and personality. This article demonstrates the continuing validity of these critiques by considering a series of recent studies that report a higher incidence of dermatoglyphic asymmetry (DA), that is, asymmetry with regard to fingerprint patterns, among females and homosexual males compared to heterosexual males. This analysis suggests that at least some of the key findings reported in these studies are an artifact of the methodology used. It is argued that this case supports the feminist claim that studies whose results reinforce gender stereotypes that prevail in society at large (in this case, the societal construction of male homosexuals as effeminate) are subjected to less scrutiny by the scientific community than those that do not.
Concept Mapping as a Feminist Research Method
Authors: Campbell Rebecca , Salem Deborah A.
Published: July 2006

A method used in program evaluation and public health research called concept mapping is examined in this article for its usefulness in feminist research. This method embodies several defining characteristics of feminist social science. Concept mapping is a single method that integrates qualitative and quantitative approaches, provides an opportunity for participants to work together as a group to develop an understanding of a concept, and places the participants in control of interpretation. Over the course of a six-step process, a group of people are assembled to discuss an issue or concept, moving toward a group understanding of that concept, which is then represented in a visual picture, or map. Concept mapping was used in the current study to examine how community resources for sexual-assault victims could be improved. A national random sample of 168 rape-victim advocates provided ideas as to how the legal, medical, and mental health systems could better serve victims. A subgroup of advocates then constructed and interpreted a concept map. The map suggested that rape victims still face many problems in seeking community help. Twelve clusters of broad-based and specific system changes were identified (e.g., fighting victim blaming, community education, sensitizing medical staff, legal reform). Implications for research on sexual assault and feminist research methodology are discussed.
Fostering Relationality when Implementing and Evaluating a Collective-Drama Approach to Preventing Violence Against Women
Authors:   Community Education Team
Published: July 2006

The authors, the Community Education Team, implemented an intervention in schools in southwestern Ontario to prevent violence against women. Using collective drama as the medium to effect social change, we engaged students in high school and grades 7 and 8 in critical dialogue about issues of violence in their lives. We discuss how we fostered the feminist principle of relationality in our relationships with the students, their educators, and ourselves as a team when we practiced collective drama and evaluated its impact. We illustrate our reflections on doing feminist work with selected portions of our evaluation findings and excerpts from a formal dialogue among the authors.
Power, Social Change, and The Process of Feminist Research
Authors: Mahlstedt Deborah
Published: July 2006

The dismantling of a male-dominated “power-over” social structure and its manifestations in human activities and relationships lies at the center of feminist thought. For many feminist psychologists, this has meant challenging the privileged, all-knowing, objective position of the researcher; viewing the “naive subject” of study as a participant in the process of creating knowledge; and using research methods aimed at transforming an oppressive culture (Burman, 1992; Crawford & Marecek, 1989; Hollway, 1989). These goals are at the center of the Community Education Team's (this issue) article: “Fostering Relationality When Implementing and Evaluating a Collective-Drama Approach to Preventing Violence Against Women.” The authors use the concept of relationality to describe the process of developing interdependence and an “egalitarian, democratic research relationship” among those involved in the study. Although “sharing power” is a goal of feminist research and pedagogy, detailed accounts of the process of incorporating feminist ideas regarding power relations in U.S. psychological research are rare. The Community Education Team reminds us that those ideas most central to feminist thought—power, process, and social change—are often the very ideas that still elude U.S. feminist psychological research.
Batterers' Experiences of Being Violent
Authors: Reitz Ronda Redden
Published: July 2006

Nine male batterers were interviewed about their experiences of being violent in domestic relationships. Interviews were analyzed using a phenomenological method to uncover themes in the structure of violent experiences. Results indicated two levels of themes: Contextual themes that described comparisons of self with other, forming the relational setting for violence, and focal themes that described experiences of being violent. Results were discussed in terms of social learning theory and gender-role attitudes, concluding that for some men, being violent in domestic relationships is a failed attempt to assert a preferred identity and avoid a devalued one. The violence ultimately reproduces the relational context of perceived polarized identities from which it emerges. Implications of findings for the victim were discussed and suggestions made to expand treatment interventions to focus on the polarized and unstable terms by which the men in this study framed their identities in domestic relationships.
Contemporary Sexism
Authors: Masser Barbara , Abrams Dominic
Published: July 2006

Previous research has examined the relationship between the Modern Sexism Scale (Swim, Aikin, Hall & Hunter, 1995) and the Ambivalent Sexism Inventory (ASI; Glick & Fiske, 1996) or the relationship between the Modern Sexism Scale and the Neosexism Scale (Campbell, Schellenberg, & Senn, 1997; Tougas, Brown, Beaton, & Joly, 1995). The present study examined the relationship between the ASI and the Neosexism Scale. Across three samples ( N = 907), neosexism was found to be associated primarily with the hostile rather than the benevolent component of ambivalent sexism. Hostile sexism, benevolent sexism, and neosexism were all significantly associated with attitudes toward lesbians' and gay men's rights, and both hostile sexism and neosexism were significantly associated with attitudes toward women's rights. Neosexism and hostile sexism were negatively associated with a humanitarian-egalitarian orientation, whereas benevolent sexism was positively associated with a Protestant-ethic orientation. It is concluded that, although both the Neosexism Scale and ASI measure contemporary sexism, only the Benevolent Sexism subscale of the ASI taps the subjectively positive side of contemporary sexism.
Who Fills out A “Lesbian” Questionnaire?
Authors: Morris Jessica F. , Rothblum Esther D.
Published: July 2006

Most research on lesbians has used self-report questionnaires, and assumed that respondents who complete a “lesbian” questionnaire self-identify as lesbians and engage in sexual relationships with women. The present study examined the degree to which 2,393 women who answered a “Lesbian Wellness Survey” are distributed on five aspects of lesbian sexuality and the coming-out process. The five aspects were: (a) Sexual Orientation (numerical rating of sexual identity from exclusively lesbian/gay to exclusively heterosexual); (b) Years Out (length of time of self-identity as lesbian/gay/bisexual); (c) Outness/Disclosure (amount of disclosure of sexual orientation to others); (d) Sexual Experience (proportion of sexual relationships with women); and (e) Lesbian Activities (extent of participation in lesbian community events). Mild but significant correlations were found among these dimensions, indicating that being lesbian is not a homogeneous experience. Closer examination by the demographic characteristics of race/ethnicity and age revealed a diversity of experience. African American, Native American, and Latina respondents had moderate correlations among these aspects of lesbian experience, whereas White and Asian American respondents evidenced only mild or nonsignificant correlations. The results indicate that researchers who are studying one aspect of the lesbian experience (e.g., outness to others) need to ensure that they are not assuming such behavior based on other dimensions (such as frequent participation in lesbian community activities or years of being out), especially among White and Asian American lesbians.
Hyperfemininity and Influence
Authors: Matschiner Melannie , Murnen Sarah K.
Published: July 2006

Murnen and Byrne (1991) have defined hyperfemininity as an exaggerated adherence to a feminine gender role as it relates to heterosexual relationships. Hyperfeminine women believe their success is determined by maintaining a romantic relationship with a man, and that their sexuality can be used to maintain this relationship. Extrapolating from theory concerning gender and status, including expectation states theory, it was hypothesized that a woman's expression of hyperfeminine attitudes would lead male college student participants to agree with her in response to a persuasive speech because it would indicate her compliance with women's subordinate status. It was found that men (but not women) who listened to a very hyperfeminine (high) speaker agreed with her more than did men who heard a mildly hyperfeminine (low) speaker, despite the fact that the high hyperfeminine speaker was judged less competent and knowledgeable. Implications of the results, including the idea that the sexual objectification of women perpetuates women's subordinate status, were discussed.
Women Coping with Cancer
Authors: Kayser Karen , Sormanti Mary , Strainchamps Emily
Published: July 2006

Using a perspective based on relational theory, the influence of several relationship factors on women's adjustment to cancer was examined in 49 cancer patients, all mothers with young children. The results indicated that women who report higher mutuality, fewer self-silencing beliefs, and fewer coping strategies of protective buffering experience a more positive psychosocial adaptation to cancer.
Patterns of Violence Against Engaged Arab Women from Israel and Some Psychological Implications
Authors: Haj-Yahia Muhammad M.
Published: July 2006

The present study focused on 1,111 engaged Arab women in Israel, examining the different patterns of abuse and battering they experienced by their fiancés. The results revealed that between 8% and 48% of the respondents had experienced psychological aggression by their partners and between 1% to 10% had experienced physical aggression. Moreover, between 5% and 11% of the respondents had experienced acts of sexual abuse at least once during the engagement period. In addition, some mental health consequences of these experiences were examined. Analysis of variance revealed that, when negotiation tactics were not used to resolve conflicts and when respondents had experienced different patterns of abuse and battering by their fiancés, they also expressed relatively low levels of self-esteem and relatively high levels of depression, anxiety, and stress. Regression and multiple regression analyses revealed that the main predictors of the study explained larger amounts of the variance in mental health than did some of the background variables. Finally, the article discusses the limitations of the study and implications for future research, as well as recommendations for prevention and intervention activities.
Poor Women are Still Shut Out of Mainstream Psychology
Authors: Saris Renee N. , Johnston-Robledo Ingrid
Published: July 2006

Based on the limited number of abstracts accessed on PsycLit between 1984 and 1991 that included poor women, Reid (1993) concluded that such women were essentially “shut up” and “shut out” of mainstream psychological research and theory. The authors conducted a follow-up analysis for the years 1991 through 1997 to determine whether significant change had taken place. In addition, they looked at the inclusion of poor women in research in the areas of sexuality and reproductive health. Results of the analysis suggest that poor women remain marginalized in our discipline's discourse.
What Do Feminists Believe?
Authors: Liss Miriam , Hoffner Carolyn , Crawford Mary
Published: July 2006

When a woman says “I am a feminist” what does she mean? What do other people think she means? We asked 71 women to complete the Feminist Perspectives Scale (Henley, Meng, O'Brien, McCarthy, & Sockloskie, 1998) from their own perspective and from the perspective of a “typical feminist.” Women who self-identified as feminists had stronger beliefs than those who did not on all feminist perspectives except cultural feminism. Both groups believed that a typical feminist held stronger radical, socialist, and cultural feminist beliefs than they themselves did, although the discrepancies were greater for nonfeminists. Nonfeminists viewed a typical feminist as endorsing stronger cultural feminist views than did feminists. Our results indicate that feminist self-identity is related to endorsement of feminist ideologies, and that both feminists and nonfeminists think that a typical feminist is more extreme than they are. The results also suggest that cultural feminism is a contested ideology; it is not endorsed by feminists, but is ascribed to them by nonfeminists.
A Generational Analysis of Women's Rights Activists
Authors: Duncan Lauren E. , Stewart Abigail J.
Published: July 2006

This article addresses the important issue of intergenerational similarities and differences among women's rights activists. We examined the attitudes, emotions, and experiences of three generations of reproductive rights activists, born between 1925 and 1975. Across generations, the participants were strongly pro-choice and identified as feminists. Despite these similarities, there were several differences that could be explained by considering the sociohistorical circumstances faced by each cohort. For example, the Civil Rights generation activists came of age during the boycotts and marches of the 1950s and showed the highest level of civil rights activism. Reflecting the coincidence of their young adulthood with the 1970s women's movement, the Protest generation activists identified the most with the label “feminist.” Finally, the Postwomen's movement activists, raised in the 1970s and 1980s, were the most likely to have taken college-level women's studies classes.
Gender and the Use of Sexually Degrading Language
Authors: Murnen Sarah K.
Published: July 2006

Based on feminist social constructionist theory, it was proposed that the sexual language women and men used would reflect male sexual power over women through degradation and objectification. In the first study, 79 women and 88 men (36 of whom were fraternity members) reported anonymously on the sexual language they used. The strongest effects found were that men (particularly those in a fraternity) were likely to use sexually degrading terms to refer to female genitals. Men were more likely than women to use aggressive terms to refer to copulation. In a second study, 56 women and 47 men college participants listened to a conversation between either two women or two men in which they were talking about having sex with someone they just met the night before. The speaker either used more degrading or less degrading language. In general, people judged anyone who used degrading language negatively. The person who was the object in the more degrading conversation compared to the less degrading conversation was judged as less intelligent and less moral. The results suggest that gender is associated with the sexual language people use, and that the degradation and objectification present in the sexual language men sometimes use might have harmful consequences on the person being objectified.