Women in the American Psychological Association.

Abstract

The purpose of this chapter is to trace the history of women psy chologists in the context of their participation in the national professional association. The focus, therefore, is on the American Psychological Association and those women who have played particularly prominent roles in its history, rather than on women psychologists as such. Actually, the history of "women in psychology" would cover the same time period as the history of "women in the APA' because the first women qualified as psychologists at almost precisely the same time as the founding of the APA a hundred years ago. However, the history of women in psychology would require a different approach and would extend well beyond this selective I thank Marion White McPherson and John A. Popplestone, directors of the Archives of the History of American Psychology, for their generous assistance in locating and providing reference materials.

APA efforts in promoting human rights and social justice.

“…The powerful Committee on Women in Psychology (CWP) was formed in response to a second wave of feminism in 1973, and its corresponding office within the APA, the Women's Programs Office (WPO), was established in 1977. Together, the CWP and the WPO quickly made the APA a leader on many critically important women's issues, and that has continued to the present day (Scarborough & Rutherford, 2017). The WPO benefited in its early years from the strong leadership of Gwendolyn Keita and Nancy Felipe Russo.…”

Recognition for Women: The Problem of Linkage

“…This appears to hold true for psychology's younger women. Of the 30 APA awards going to women for distinguished contributions since 1976, 14 have been granted for an Early Career Contribution to Psychology (Scarborough, 1992).…”

“…First, I present a sketch of the APA's history with emphasis on the roles played by women, drawing from a chapter in the centennial volume edited by Rand Evans, Virginia Sexton, and Tom Cadwallader entitled The American PycboloBical Association: A Historical Perspective (Scarborough, 1992). Next I discuss findings related to how recognition is achieved in science and explanations for women's lower research productivity.…”