PSYC 3480 Chapter 1: Psych of Women - Chapter 1
Document Summary
Men and women are basically alike in their intellectual and social behaviours. Any differences that do occur are small and inconsistent and produced by socialization, not biology. Most feminist theory and research dealing with gender differences has retained this similarities approach. Historically, these differences have been thought to arise from essential qualities within the individual that are rooted in biology this concept is known as essentialism. Ea(cid:396)l(cid:455) ps(cid:455)(cid:272)hologists ofte(cid:374) e(cid:395)uated (cid:449)o(cid:373)e(cid:374)"s diffe(cid:396)e(cid:374)(cid:272)es f(cid:396)o(cid:373) (cid:373)e(cid:374) (cid:449)ith i(cid:374)fe(cid:396)io(cid:396)it(cid:455) a(cid:374)d (cid:862)othe(cid:396)(cid:374)ess(cid:863) Contemporary feminists behavioural differences between genders are not inborn but are socially constructed. Some feminists have added a twist to the differences approach cultural feminists celebrates the positive qualities historically associated with women (e. g. concern for other people) nancy chodorow, carol gilligan. We refer to authors by their last name and first initials + in the absence of gender identifying information, people tend to assume the important contributions have been carried out by men.
