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Over the last two decades, a rich, diverse, yet sometimes contradictory body of research has been gathered under the general rubric of "psychology of women." This burgeoning literature represents several disciplines, among them psychology, psychiatry, sociology, political science, and women's studies. To bring sense to this agglomeration of views, both for the layperson and the student, the author looks at research in this area as a social process and refutes the notion that science can be objective about its search for universal truths. She asks us to reflect on how we choose among explanations of behavior, calling the need to examine the psychology of women in a social and historical context. Throughout the book, Riger reveals how interpretive frameworks shape how we perceive research findings. Her central theme suggests that social factors shape the meaning and experience of biological femaleness.
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Transforming Psychology
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TRANSFORMING PSYCHOLOGY Gender in Theory and Practice
STEPHANIE R I G E R
OXPORD UNIVERSITY PRESS 20OO
OXFORD Oxford New York Athens Auckland Bangkok Bogota Buenos Aires Calcutta Cape Town Chennai Dar es Salaam Delhi Florence Hong Kong Istanbul Karachi Kuala Lumpur Madrid Melbourne Mexico City Mumbai Nairobi Paris Sao Paulo Singapore Taipei Tokyo Toronto Warsaw and associated companies in Berlin Ibadan
Copyright © 2000 Stephanie Riger Published by Oxford University Press, Inc. 198 Madison Avenue, New York, New York 10016 Oxford is a registered trademark of Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of Oxford University Press. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Riger, Stephanie. Transforming psychology : gender in theory and practice / Stephanie Riger. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and indexes. ISBN 0-19-507466-1 I. Feminist psychology. I. Title. BF20I-4.R54 1999 150'.82—dc2i 99-045366
1 3 5 7 9 8 6 4 2 Printed in the United States of America on acid-free paper
for Dan
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Contents
PART I : K N O W I N G G E N D E R
1 Introduction
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2 Epistemological Debates, Feminist Voices: Science, Social Values, and the Study of Women 7 3 Rethinking the Distinction between Sex and Gender 4 From Snapshots to Videotape: New Directions in Research on Gender Differences 39 5 Women's Agency in Context
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6 Working Together: Challenges in Collaborative Research on Violence against Women 59 7 Ways of Knowing and Community Research PART I K G E N D E R , P O L I C I E S , A N D P R A C T I C E S
8 Gender Dilemmas in Sexual Harassment Policies and Procedures 83 9 What's Wrong with Empowerment
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10 Women in Management: An Exploration of Competing Paradigms 107 11 Low-Paying Jobs for Women: By Discrimination or by Choice?
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12 Challenges of Success: Stages of Growth in Feminist Organizations 124 13 The Impact of Welfare Reform on Men's Violence against Women 145 Notes
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Name Index Subject Index
211 215
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Acknowledgments
A
LL AUTHORS KNOW THAT their name alone on the cover of a book is a lie. Every book is the product of a dialogue, with contemporary and prior authors and others. I have been blessed with a community of scholars who are also friends, who have read numerous iterations of these pieces and given words of praise, helpful suggestions, insightful criticisms, and support in tough times. Foremost amo