A History of Women and Feminist Perspectives in Community Psychology

Abstract

Using an historical framework, we document and assess efforts to include women, women's issues, and feminism in community psychology and in the Society for Community Research and Action (SCRA). Initiatives of the SCRA Task Force/Committee on Women are traced from its inception to present. We also chronicle the dilemmas and difficulties of moving toward a feminist community psychology. The history is divided into five phases. Each phase is described in terms of women's involvement in the field and efforts to integrate feminist content into research and practice of the field. Reflections on the qualities of contexts that have both supported and inhibited inclusion are identified. We look to this history to try to understand the observation that while women have been increasingly visible in leadership roles and women's professional development has been encouraged, less progress has been made toward building a feminist community psychology.

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“…For instance, the Society for Community Research and Action (SCRA), the primary professional association for community psychologists, is an exemplar of an organization in which women have been increasingly included. In recording the history of women within SCRA, Bond and Mulvey (2000) note that the increasing presence of women and the incorporation of feminist work within community psychology is evidenced through developing a SCRA Task Force (which evolved into the Committee on Women). Over the years, the SCRA Committee on Women has grown, offering increased programming that centers on women at the SCRA biennial conference, networking opportunities through Women's Night Out and similar events, and advocacy for accolades of research or practice work addressing women or women's concerns within SCRA.…”

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“…3 Voice Committee members differed in their 2 Bond and Mulvey (2000) chronicled a history of women's roles and feminist perspectives in community psychology from 1965 through 1999 including the development of the SCRA Women's Committee. As described, the Task Force on Women (which became the present day Women's Committee) was established in 1978 by a small group of women who were interested in feminist issues and were concerned with the limited attention to women's issues in the community psychology literature.…”

“…As described, the Task Force on Women (which became the present day Women's Committee) was established in 1978 by a small group of women who were interested in feminist issues and were concerned with the limited attention to women's issues in the community psychology literature. Over the years, various initiatives have been spearheaded by the Task Force, including those related to women's career development in the organization, the promotion of sexual harassment policies, and mentoring (Bond & Mulvey, 2000). The Women's Committee also provides networking opportunities for women within the organization, presents programming related to women's issues and women's work at the Society's Biennial conferences, and has documented the history of women in the organization.levels of privilege in regards to their sexual orientation, social class history (growing up), immigration/refugee history, and professional standing; they held in common their current self-identification as White, middle-class, and having a feminist orientation.…”

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“…In 1976, Barbara was the first woman elected president of the Division of Community Psychology of the American Psychological Association (APA), which is now known as SCRA (Bond & Mulvey, 2000). (SCRA, the current name of Division 27, will be used instead of its former name, the Division of Community Psychology.)…”